Trajectories in cognitive engagement, fatigue, and school achievement: The role of young adolescents' psychological need satisfaction

The study investigates whether between-person differences in school-based psychological need satisfaction may explain trajectories in cognitive engagement, fatigue, and academic attainment over a school year. A sample of 361 young adolescents in the United Kingdom (mean age = 11.89 years; 55 % male, 45 % female) completed self-report measures of psychological need satisfaction, cognitive engagement, and cognitive fatigue on four occasions. Official school grades for English and Maths were collected. Hierarchical growth modelling revealed that pupils higher in psychological need satisfaction reported stable levels of cognitive engagement and lower fatigue. Pupils lower in psychological need satisfaction displayed declining levels of cognitive engagement and consistently higher fatigue. All pupils showed increases in school grades, yet higher psychological need satisfaction was related to greater gains. These trends existed when controlling for age, sex, ethnicity, and learning needs. The findings offer temporal insights into the role of school-based psychological needs in fostering cognitive engagement at school.