RELATIONS OF SECONDARY STUDENTS’ INTRINSIC MOTIVATION AND ASPIRATIONS WITH THEIR SELF-CONCEPT IN SCIENCE

Abstract

Science is a critical area as it focuses on meeting basic human needs by laying the necessary foundation in everybody in diverse fields. Thus, science impacts everybody in the world and science education demonstrate utmost important. If students have intrinsic motivation, they are well engaged, enquiring, attentive and willing to participate in learning process and the intrinsically motivated behaviors help them acquire knowledge and experience regarding science. Educational aspirations, career aspirations and self-concept promote for better science education. Thus, the present study aimed to address the relations of secondary students’ intrinsic motivation and aspiration with their self-concept in science. This is a mixed methods study and sample comprised 2384 students in Grade 8 and Grade 9. In this study, an intervention was implemented to explore students’ intrinsic motivation, aspirations and self-concept using appropriate teaching methodologies and strategies; results reveal that, there were strong positive relationships of students’ intrinsic motivation and aspirations with their self-concept (r2= .934;.926 respectively) in the experimental group. However, there were very low positive relationships of students’ intrinsic motivation and aspirations with their self-concept (r2 = .093; .058 respectively) in the control group. Further, there were significant differences of students’ intrinsic motivation, aspirations and self-concept before and after the intervention in the experimental group; t=51.926(1232) p=.000; t= 48.513(1232) p=.000; t= 53.689(1232) p=.000 respectively. There was no such significant difference of the above, before and after the intervention in the control group; t=-.5(1150) p=.323; t=-.989(1150) p=.116; t= 1.572 (1150), p=.617 respectively. The findings of the study provided greater understanding of the above relations, develop suitable teaching and learning methodologies and inform the practice of science education.