The Guangdong–SDT Paradox: Learning Climate and the Cultural Internalization of Motivation in Elite Dance Education
This study investigates the interplay between motivational orientations, learning climate, and student engagement within elite undergraduate dance programs in Guangdong, China. While Self-Determination Theory (SDT) typically frames controlled motivation as maladaptive, this research posits a “Guangdong–SDT Paradox,” where culturally embedded obligations support persistence. Using a cross-sectional design, data were collected from 509 dance students across six institutions and analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The results identify learning climate as the dominant predictor of multidimensional engagement, explaining over 70% of the variance. Consistent with SDT, autonomous motivation strongly predicted engagement and partially mediated the influence of the learning climate. However, contrary to Western-centric models, controlled motivation exhibited a significant positive effect on engagement, suggesting that collectivist values such as filial piety and institutional “face” function as adaptive mechanisms in high-performance contexts. These findings support a theory of “contextualized universality,” where basic psychological needs are universal but their expression is culturally modulated. The study concludes that instructor-led autonomy support is essential for internalizing both intrinsic and culturally sanctioned motivations, offering a framework for sustaining engagement in elite arts education.