Impact Factors on Academic Motivation

Academic motivation is important for students. However, there have several issues that will affect the motivation.

1.             Study duration

Undergraduate students study because all other peers study as well or because the parents expect it. Especially students in the first two semesters study because their environment expects that. That implies that undergraduate students perceive the locus of control for their behaviour outside themselves and thus are more extrinsically motivated. Older students are less dependent from their family and peers in their behaviour and therefore more likely to be interested in the field of studies itself and therefore more intrinsically motivated.

2.             Field of Study

Certain occupational fields imply higher future salaries to students than others. Alumni of business administration or engineering earn much more in the average than graduates from social sciences. Financial rewards are perceived to enlarge extrinsic motivation; the same can be supposed for income prospects. The higher the expected salary associated with a certain discipline the more students in this field of study are extrinsically motivated.

3.             Social background

Another factor influencing academic motivation is the social background of students; particularly the educational background of the parents is here important. Students with an academic family background are more intrinsically motivated than students without an academic family background.