Predictors of academic motivation in first grade among children born to low-income adolescent mothers

Abstract

The central question addressed in this study was: What factors are associated with individual differences in academic motivation among first-grade students who were born to low-income adolescent mothers? Data from a 7-year longitudinal study were used to address the question. First-grade teachers assessed academic motivation for 89 children at the end of the school year. We tested a model that children’s experiences in the home prior to school entry influence the developmental trajectories of the children; experiences in the home are likely to influence the cognitive abilities children have when they enter school. More competent children are likely to be more successful on school-related tasks, which in turn, should influence level of motivation in the early elementary grades. The results of a path analysis were consistent with this model. Parenting practices and quality of the home environment during the early childhood period were predictive of children’s receptive language skills at age 4.5 years and achievement in the fall semester of first grade; achievement test scores were, in turn, predictive of academic motivation at the end of first grade. We also expected parental support for achievement after school entry to be related to individual differences in academic motivation, but this hypothesis was not supported.