Fostering Psychological Ownership and Self-Authorship in Higher Education: Pathways to Student Engagement, Growth and Knowledge Creation

This study explores the intersection of psychological ownership (PO) and self-authorship (SA) in the context of university students’ project-based learning. It examines how students develop a sense of ownership over their course projects, ideas, and knowledge they create, and how this engagement shapes their learning, identity, and sense of self. The findings highlight the role of control and perceived idea quality in fostering psychological ownership, as well as the importance of intimate knowledge and perceived object quality in supporting self-authorship. The study underscores that when students feel connected to their ideas, their motivation, persistence, and engagement increase, especially in creativity-driven contexts. By linking psychological ownership to self-authorship, it shows how students’ evolving sense of self is intertwined with the knowledge they construct. The results offer implications for curriculum design, teaching practices, and educational policies, calling for learning environments that promote student autonomy, reflection, and meaningful engagement.