This study investigated to what degree lesson-to-lesson variability in teachers' goal clarification and process
feedback explains variability in secondary students’ motivational correlates. Students (N=570, 24 classes)
completed questionnaires at six occasions. Multilevel regression analyses showed that relations between perceived
process feedback and experienced need satisfaction (i.e., competence, autonomy and relatedness) were
conditional on perceived goal clarification. No such interaction effects between process feedback and goal
clarification were found for need frustration (i.e., experiencing failure, feeling pushed to achieve goals, feeling
rejected). In general, when students perceived more process feedback or goal clarification, students experienced
more competence, autonomy and relatedness satisfaction. Yet, when perceiving very high levels of process
feedback, additional benefits of goal clarification were no longer present (and vice versa). In lessons in which
students perceived goals to be less clear, they experienced more need frustration. No associations were found
between process feedback and need frustration.