The Relationship between Motivation and Academic Performance in Chiropractic Students

Niu Zhang,Xiaohua He

doi:10.22158/wjer.v7n2p50

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between motivation and academic performance in chiropractic students. This was a cross-sectional study. Three hundred and sixty-two students were recruited from the 1st and 3rd quarters during the 2017-2018 academic year. Out of 362 students, 305 completed the Inventory of School Motivation (ISM). Total scores from the 1st quarter General Anatomy course and the 3rd quarter Immunology/Endocrinology course were used to measure the 1st quarter and 3rd quarter academic performance, respectively. The mean total motivation score for all students was 28.40 ± 3.79 (mean ± SD). There was no signi?cant difference in total motivation score between students in the two quarters (p > .05). The mean of the 1st quarter praise scores was statistically significantly higher than those of the 3rd quarter (p < .05). The means of three motivation subscale scores for females were signi?cantly higher than that for males (task, effort, and praise, p < .05) while the mean competition score for males was signi?cantly higher than that for females (p < .01). The linear analysis demonstrated a weak but statistically significant correlation of task (r = .11, p < .05) and effort (r = .13, p < .05) with academic performance indicating that task and effort were minor predictors of academic outcome (p < .05).There was a weak, but statistically significant positive correlation between the three motivation subscales and academic performance. Female students scored significantly higher on three motivation subscales while males scored higher on one.

Highlights

There are four factors that affect motivation: situation, mood, goal, and tool (Yousefy et al, 2012)
This study aimed to investigate the relationship between motivation and academic performance in chiropractic students
We examine the relationship between the indicators of academic motivation and academic performance in our chiropractic training program

Summary

Introduction

There are four factors that affect motivation: situation, mood, goal, and tool (Yousefy et al, 2012). Motivation is multidimensional and highly correlated with learning as well as academic accomplishments (Mohamadi, 2006). Many studies have identified motivation to be highly influential in learning and academic success (Vansteenkiste et al, 2004, 2005; Hustinx et al, 2009; Almalki, 2019). A Netherlands based study, for example, found no significant correlation between motivation and academic success (Hulsman et al, 2007). Neither extrinsic nor intrinsic motivation was significantly correlated with academic performance in a second study conducted in the UK (Popovic, 2010). We examine the relationship between the indicators of academic motivation and academic performance in our chiropractic training program. We hypothesized that: 1) there were differences in the motivation scales among demographic categories such as gender, age, ethnicity, marital status, presence or absence of children, and undergraduate major, 2) there was a positive relationship between academic motivation, as measured by task, effort, complication, social power, affiliation, social concern, praise, and token, and the academic performance of chiropractic students, and 3) the motivation subscales, alone or in combination, would predict student academic outcome

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion