SDT Conferences: An Overview
Since the First International Conference on Self-Determination Theory, held in 1999 at the University of Rochester, the conference has been instituted as a regular event. The Second International Conference on SDT was held at the University of Ottawa in 2004, the Third Conference was held in Toronto in 2007, and the Fourth Conference will be held in Gent, Belgium May 13-16, 2010.
A resounding response to these conferences has been that participants appreciate the opportunity to get together with others who are interested in ideas similar to their own, to discuss and extend their own current research from feedback received from experts in their area, and to build relationships that will facilitate their research—perhaps even to find collaborators with whom they can work on shared interests.
SDT has continued to gain greater stature and visibility in the field, as evidenced by target articles in major journals, featured keynote addresses for numerous international conferences, prominent positions held in the field by SDT members, and major grant awards from the most prestigious public and private funding agencies. It is clear that recognition of, and interest in, SDT is substantial, and that the conferences are growing in an organic way, much like the theory itself.
