“I realized that I can express myself”: Motivational Drives behind Freshmen Attendance in Lectures

Abstract

This paper reports the findings of a research study conducted to understand the main motivational drives behind attendance in lectures and whether the drives differ based on the attendance rate. The study particularly seeks to gain insight into the attendance reasons reported by freshmen students for a mass course offered in a higher education context. The participants of the study consisted of 158 freshmen students studying at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in İstanbul, Türkiye. The research design collected qualitative data through semi-structured interviews and quantitative data through statistical data that describes the students’ attendance rates. The analysis of the data showed that the students were primarily motivated by the lecturer’s style. According to the students, their lecturer’s way of teaching, attitude towards the students and providing room for self-expression play major role for their motivation to attend the lectures. The secondary motivation for freshmen was found as the syllabus with an interesting content, suggested readings and bonus points. Additionally, some of the students stated that they attended the lectures only because the attendance is compulsory. Regarding the change of motivational drives based on the attendance rates, the data revealed that compulsory attendance do not have an impact on the attendance of students with very high attendance rates. In the paper, the results are discussed based on the relevant literature and the implications for increasing motivation in higher education contexts are provided.