Does Intrinsic Motivation Improve Academic Achievement, or Vice Versa?
Providing Longitudinal Evidence for the Main Theories of Motivation Based on Primary Education Students’ Age and Sex
Abstract
A significant number of teachers justify intrinsic motivation as a driver for the improvement of academic performance in primary school students. However, the main theories of motivation that exist today support the opposite idea. To date, the existing longitudinal studies on students at this stage are scarce, which makes it really difficult to verify whether this statement is true or whether it is an educational myth. For this reason, the objective of this study has been to verify whether intrinsic motivation leads to improvements in academic performance or vice versa, and whether this relationship is mediated by the student's age and gender. A total of 852 primary education students (M = 10.82; DT = .867) participated, and longitudinal data on their intrinsic motivation and academic performance was collected at the beginning (T1) and end (T2) of a 7-month period. The results revealed that, regardless of the student's sex and age, intrinsic motivation at T1 did not significantly predict academic performance at T2. However, academic performance at T1 did predict intrinsic motivation at T2, and this relationship was mediated by the student's age but not by their gender. These results are of special interest for teachers to eliminate possible educational myths and to observe how providing opportunities for success can be of special interest in improving students’ intrinsic motivation.
Downloads
References
Abdelrahma, R. M. (2020). Metacognitive awareness and academic motivation and their impact on academic achievement of Ajman University students. Heliyon, 6(9), e04192. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e04192
Acosta, F. P., & Clavero, F. H. (2018). Relaciones entre rendimiento e inteligencia emocional en secundaria. Tendencias Pedagógicas, 31, 165-186.
Anderman, E. M., & Anderman, L. H. (2020). Classroom Motivation: Linking Research to Teacher Practice (3rd ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003013600
Badola, S. (2013). Effect of School’s on Academic Achievement Motivation of Secondary level Students. Educationia Confab, 2, 61–66.
Baharudin, R., & Zulkefly, N. S. (2009). Relationships with Father and Mother, Self-Esteem and Academic Achievement amongst College Students. American Journal of Scientific Research, 6.
Borić, E. (2017). Teachers’ job satisfaction, work motivation, and encouragement of competences among pupils. Metodički ogledi: časopis za filozofiju odgoja, 24(2), 23-38.
Broussard, S. C., & Garrison, M. E. B. (2004). The Relationship Between Classroom Motivation and Academic Achievement in Elementary-School-Aged Children. Family and Consumer Sciences Research Journal, 33, 106-120. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077727X04269573
Castaño-Rubio, I., Rodríguez Suárez, N., & Granero-Gallegos, A. (2011). Orientaciones de meta de los jóvenes escolares del colegio El Buen Pastor de Murcia. Espiral. Cuadernos del Profesorado, 4(8), 13-21. http://dx.doi.org/10.25115/ecp.v4i8.921
Cerasoli, C. P., Nicklin, J. M., & Ford, M. T. (2014). Intrinsic motivation and extrinsic incentives jointly predict performance: a 40-year meta-analysis. Psychological bulletin, 140(4), 980-1008. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0035661
Cervelló, E. M., & Santos-Rosa, F. (2007). Motivación en las clases de Educación Física: un estudio de la perspectiva de las metas de logro en el contexto educativo. Revista de Psicología del Deporte, 9(12).
Cook, D. A. & Artino, A. R., J.R. (2016). Motivation to learn: an overview of contemporary theories. Medical Eduction, 50(10), 997-1014. https://doi.org/10.1111/medu.13074
Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (1987). The support of autonomy and the control of behavior. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 53(6), 1024-1037. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.53.6.1024
Deci, E. L., Koestner, R., & Ryan, R. M. (1999). A meta-analytic review of experiments examining the effects of extrinsic rewards on intrinsic motivation. Psychological Bulletin, 125(6), 627-668.
DePasque, S., & Tricomi, E. (2015). Effects of intrinsic motivation on feedback processing during learning. NeuroImage, 119, 175-186. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2015.06.046
Dubow, E., Boxer, P., & Huesmann, L. (2009). Long-term Effects of Parents’ Education on Children’s Educational and Occupational Success: Mediation by Family Interactions, Child Aggression, and Teenage Aspirations. Merrill-Palmer quarterly (Wayne State University Press), 55, 224-249. https://doi.org/10.1353/mpq.0.0030
Eccles, J. S., & Wigfield, A. (1995). In the Mind of the Actor: The Structure of Adolescents’ Achievement Task Values and Expectancy-Related Beliefs. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 21(3), 215–225. https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167295213003
García, M. S., González-Pineda, J. A., Núñez, J. C., González-Pumariega, S., Álvarez, L., Roces, C., González, R., & Valle, A. (1998). El cuestionario de metas académicas (CMA): un instrumento para la evaluación de la orientación motivacional de los alumnos de Educación Secundaria. Aula Abierta, 71, 175-199.
Hennessey, B., Moran, S., Altringer, B., & Amabile, T. M. (2015). Extrinsic and intrinsic motivation. Organizational Behavior, 11. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118785317.weom110098
Herges, R. M., Duffield, S., Martin, W., & Wageman, J. (2017). Motivation and Achievement of Middle School Mathematics Students. The Mathematics Educator, 26, 1, 83–106.
Hidi, S., & Renninger, K. A. (2006). The four-phase model of interest development. Educational Psychologist, 41(2), 111-127. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15326985ep4102_4
Hornstra, L., van der Veen, I., Peetsma, T., & Volman, M. (2013). Developments in motivation and achievement during primary school: A longitudinal study on group-specific differences. Learning and Individual Differences, 23, 195-204. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2012.09.004
Kusurkar, R. A., Croiset, G., Mann, K. V., Custers, E., & Ten Cate, O. (2012) Have motivation theories guided the development and reform of medical education curricula? A review of the literature. Academic Medicine, 87(6), 735-43. https://doi.org/10.1097/ACM.0b013e318253cc0e
Lee, J., & Stankov, L. (2018). Non-cognitive predictors of academic achievement: Evidence from TIMSS and PISA. Learning and Individual Differences, 65, 50-64. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2018.05.009
Lens, W., Paixão, M. P., & Herrera, D. (2009). Instrumental Motivation is Extrinsic Motivation: So What??? Psychologica, 50, 21-40. https://doi.org/10.14195/1647-8606_50_2
Liu, Y., & Hou, S. (2018). Potential reciprocal relationship between motivation and achievement: A longitudinal study. School Psychology International, 39(1), 38–55. https://doi.org/10.1177/0143034317710574
Manzano-Sánchez, D. M. (2021). Differences between psychological aspects in Primary Education and Secondary Education. Motivation, Basic Psychological Needs, Responsibility, Classroom Climate, Prosocial and Antisocial behaviors and Violence | Diferencias entre aspectos psicológicos en Educación Primaria y Educación Secundaria. Motivación, Necesidades psicológicas básicas, Responsabilidad, Clima de aula, Conductas antisociales y Violencia. Espiral. Cuadernos del profesorado, 14(28). https://doi.org/10.25115/ecp.v14i28.4198
McArthur, A., Ellis, H. H., & Havard, B. (2016). Perceptions of Technology Integration and Creative Curricula in Child Education. thannual, 77.
Michaelides M. P., Gavin, G. T. L., Brown, T. L., Eklöf, H., & Papanastasiou, E. C. (2019). The Relationship of Motivation with Achievement in Mathematics. In IEAR (Ed.), Motivational Profiles in TIMSS, 7, 9-23. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-26183-2_2
Mutz, J.-P. D. M., & Burrmann, U. (2014). Sind Mädchen im koedukativen Sportunterricht systematisch benachteiligt? [Does coeducational Physical Education systematically discriminate against girls? New evidence on an old debate]. Sportwissenschaft, 44, 171– 181. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12662-014-0328-x
Nicaise, V., Cogérino, G., Bois, J., & Amorose, A. J. (2006). Students’ perceptions of teacher feedback and physical competence in Physical Education classes: Gender effects. Journal of Teaching in Physical Education, 25, 36–57. https://doi.org/10.1123/jtpe.25.1.36
Pongračić, L., Hasanagić, D. L., & Komadina, L. T. (2021). Motivation Factors for Elementary School Students. European Journal of Teaching and Education, 3(1), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.33422/ejte.v3i1.646
Quílez-Robres, A., Moyano, N., & Cortés-Pascual (2021). Motivational, Emotional, and Social Factors Explain Academic Achievement in Children Aged 6–12 Years: A Meta-Analysis. Education Sciences, 11(9), 513. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci11090513
Rahmani, P. (2011). The relationship between self-esteem, achievement goals and academic achievement among the primary school students. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 29, 803-808. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2011.11.308
Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). When rewards compete with nature: The undermining of intrinsic motivation and self-regulation. In Sansone, C. & Harackiewicz, J. (Eds). In, Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation (pp. 13-54). Academic Press.
Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2017). Self-determination theory: Basic psychological needs in motivation, development, and wellness. Guilford Publications. http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/purdue/detail.action?docID=4773318.
Schunk, D. H., & Usher, E. L. (2012). Social Cognitive Theory and Motivation. In R. M. Ryan (Ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Human Motivation (pp. 13-27). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780195399820.013.0002
Steinmayr, R., Weidinger, A. F., Schwinger, M., & Spinath, B. (2019). The Importance of Students’ Motivation for Their Academic Achievement – Replicating and Extending Previous Findings. Frontiers in Psychology, 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01730
Taylor, G.; Jungert, T.; Mageau, G. A. ; Schattke, K.; Dedic, H.; Rosenfield, S. & Koestner, R. (2014). A self-determination theory approach to predicting school achievement over time: the unique role of intrinsic motivation. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 39(4), 342-358. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2014.08.002.
Vallerand, R. J. (1997). Toward a hierarchical model of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 29, 271-360. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0065-2601(08)60019-2
Wang, C., Cho, H. J., Wiles, B., Moss, J. D., Bonem, E. M., Li, Q., Lu, Y., & Levesque-Bristol, C. (2022). Competence and autonomous motivation as motivational predictors of college students’ mathematics achievement: from the perspective of self-determination theory. International Journal of STEM Education, 9, 41. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40594-022-00359-7
Weiner, B. (1972). Attribution theory, achievement motivation, and the educational process. Review of educational research, 42(2), 203-215. https://doi.org/10.2307/1170017
Weiner, B. (Ed.). (1974). Achievement motivation and attribution theory. General Learning Press.
Xiao F., & Sun, L. (2021). Students’ Motivation and Affection Profiles and Their Relation to Mathematics Achievement, Persistence, and Behaviors. Frontiers in Psychology, 11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.533593
Zhang, Y., Yang, X., Sun, X., & Kaiser, G. (2023). The reciprocal relationship among Chinese senior secondary students’ intrinsic and extrinsic motivation and cognitive engagement in learning mathematics: a three-wave longitudinal study. ZDM Mathematics Education, 55, 399–412. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11858-022-01465-0
Copyright (c) 2024 Journal of Educational Research
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
The articles and scientific documents published in RIE abide the following conditions:
1. The Servicio de Publicaciones de la Universidad de Murcia (the publisher) has the property rights (copyright) of all the documents published and allows the reuse under the user’s license indicated in point 2.
2. All documents are published in the digital edition of RIE under a Creative Commons Reconocimiento-NoComercial-SinObraDerivada 3.0 España (legal document) license. These documents can be copied, used, distributed, communicated and explained publicly if: i) the author(s) and its original source of publishing (magazine, publisher and URL of the document) are cited; ii) it is not used for commercial purpose; iii) the existence and the specifications about this license are mentioned.
3. Auto-archive’s conditions. The authors are allowed and encouraged to digitally distribute the pre-print versions (a version before evaluation) and/or post-print (a version that it is already evaluated and accepted to its publication). This promotes circulation and distribution earlier and can increase the citations and significance within the academic community.
