Academic Burnout and Motivation of Chinese Secondary Students

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to identify patterns of academic burnout in 730 Chinese middle school students, and to link the burnout patterns with academic motivation. Using cluster analysis, we identified four motivation groups: (a) distressed group, (b) persevering group, (c) laissez-faire group, and (d) well-functioning group. The results of optimal scaling procedures indicated that grade level and motivation variables (intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, and amotivation) were good discriminators among the four clusters. Specifically, variation on self-determination motivation characteristics was demonstrated among different academic burnout profiles: distressed students had the highest scores on a motivation and external motivation. In contrast, well-functioning students had the highest scores on intrinsic motivation. For persevering and laissez-faire students, there was no significant difference on intrinsic motivation. However, persevering students reported higher scores on a motivation and external motivation than laissez-faire students.