Correlation between academic motivation and professional identity in medical students in the Faculty of Medicine of the Universitas Gadjah Mada Indonesia

Abstract

Abstract Background Professionalism is a skills area that should be mastered by medical graduates. The period of formal education is essential for the formation of professionalism. The involvement of internal factors, such as academic motivation, and external factors, such as the learning environment, might play a role in the development and learning of professional identity. Aim To determine the profiles of academic motivation and its relationship between student professional identity during their degree courses. Methods This cross-sectional study included 531 medical students in the early, mid, and late phases of their courses in the Gadjah Mada University Faculty of Medicine. The Academic Motivation Scale of Vallerand was used to assess academic motivation, and the Professional Identity Scale of Adams to assess professional identity. Results The mean scores of academic motivation domains including intrinsic, extrinsic, and lack of motivation among medical students in the Gadjah Mada University Faculty of Medicine were 5.02 ± 0.87, 4.86 ± 0.88, and 1.83 ± 0.96 (mean ± standard deviation), respectively. No significant differences were found between the intrinsic and extrinsic motivation scores among students in the three phases of education, while the scores on lack of motivation among students in earlier phases were lower than students in the mid and late phases (P