Abstract
BackgroundDecrease in intrinsic motivation is a common complaint among elementary and junior high school students, and is related to poor academic performance. Since grade-dependent development of cognitive functions also influences academic performance by these students, we examined whether cognitive functions are related to the prevalence of decrease in intrinsic academic motivation.MethodsThe study group consisted of 134 elementary school students from 4th to 6th grades and 133 junior high school students from 7th to 9th grades. Participants completed a questionnaire on intrinsic academic motivation. They also performed paper-and-pencil and computerized cognitive tests to measure abilities in motor processing, spatial construction, semantic fluency, immediate memory, short-term memory, delayed memory, spatial working memory, and selective, alternative, and divided attention.ResultsIn multivariate logistic regression analyses adjusted for grade and gender, scores of none of the cognitive tests were correlated with the prevalence of decrease in intrinsic academic motivation in elementary school students. However, low digit span forward test score and score for comprehension of the story in the kana pick-out test were positively correlated with the prevalence of decrease in intrinsic academic motivation in junior high school students.ConclusionsThe present findings suggest that decrease in capacity for verbal memory is associated with the prevalence of decrease in intrinsic academic motivation among junior high school students.
Highlights
Decrease in intrinsic motivation is a common complaint among elementary and junior high school students, and is related to poor academic performance
One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed a main effect of grade on intrinsic academic motivation score (F = 3.70, p = .003)
Our cross-sectional findings demonstrated that scores of none of the cognitive tests administered were associated with the prevalence of decrease in intrinsic academic motivation in elementary school students
Summary
Decrease in intrinsic motivation is a common complaint among elementary and junior high school students, and is related to poor academic performance. Since grade-dependent development of cognitive functions influences academic performance by these students, we examined whether cognitive functions are related to the prevalence of decrease in intrinsic academic motivation. It has been shown that intrinsic academic motivation results in better educational outcomes, such as higher academic performances, better quality of learning, increased persistence and effort in studies, and better psychological adjustment of learners, than does extrinsic motivation [2,3]. It has been reported that the intrinsic academic motivation of school students markedly decreases from elementary school to junior high school [6]. Identifying intrinsic academic motivation-related factors is important for preventing decrease in intrinsic academic motivation during this transition period
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