Teacher interpersonal behaviour and student motivation in competence-based vocational education: Evidence from Indonesia

•Perceived teacher interpersonal behaviour (TIB) predicts student motivation.•TIB connects competence-based education (CBE) and student motivation.•Impact of TIB on student motivation is greater in less-CBE than in CBE context.

Competence-based education requires changing teacher roles probably affecting teacher–student interactions and student motivation. This study examines how students (N = 1469) from competence-based and less-competence-based vocational schools perceive their teachers' interpersonal behaviour and its relation with their motivation. Results showed comparable teacher profiles in CBE and less-CBE schools, with an unexpected difference at the dimension level. Perceived teacher interpersonal behaviour moderated connections between CBE and student motivation, with greater impact in less-CBE than in CBE learning environments. Required changes in teacher roles are not yet perceived, hampering the expectations of increased motivation in competence-based education.