Causal mechanisms of the psychological needs for online gamified learning and the impact on learning engagement among college students

This study explores the development process of psychological needs in online gamified learning (OGL) among university students and examines its impact on learning engagement. Grounded in Self-Determination Theory (SDT), the research conducted a purposive sampling survey involving 483 university students with diversified academic backgrounds. Results from Mplus-based analysis show: Perceived autonomy correlates positively with perceived relatedness and perceived competence; Autonomy-Supportive Motivation is positively linked to the three basic psychological needs; Perceived autonomy, perceived relatedness, and perceived competence are positively associated with intrinsic motivation; Intrinsic motivation further correlates positively with learning engagement; and intrinsic motivation, along with the basic psychological needs, mediates the relationship between autonomy-supportive motivation and learning engagement in college students within a OGL environment. Additionally, the study found that external orientation negatively moderated the link between autonomy-supportive motivation and perceived autonomy in college students. The main value of this study is that it reveals the logical relationships within students’ psychological needs in the context of OGL, validating the development process of students’ psychological needs and its impact on learning engagement, emphasizing the crucial two-way interaction between teachers and students, and creating an indirect impetus driven by external contexts, causal factors, and behavioral structures.