The Effect of Students’ Academic Motivation on Their Self-Perceived Digital and Sustainability Competencies in Wood Science and Technology Education

Abstract

The wood and furniture sector faces challenges in adopting digital and sustainability practices, mainly due to a lack of competencies for effective implementation. While current educational reforms in Slovenia emphasize the development of digital and sustainability competencies at all levels of wood science and technology education, the role of motivation, one of the key drivers of learning, in shaping these competencies has not been sufficiently explored. This study investigated how academic motivation affects students, self-perceived digital and sustainability competencies. A survey was conducted among 433 final-year students in wood science and technology education programs, including secondary vocational and technical, short-cycle higher vocational, and higher education institutions. The Academic Motivation Scale was used along with instruments derived from established European digital and sustainability competence frameworks. Structural equation modeling revealed that students’ academic motivation positively predicted their self-perceived generic digital, generic sustainability, and professional digital and sustainability competencies, and explained between 22 and 29% of the variance. Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation were not shown to be distinct dimensions, but formed a unidimensional construct, suggesting that both internal interests and external incentives jointly support the perception of these competencies. Students’ academic motivation is a decisive factor for their self-perceived digital and sustainability competencies in wood science and technology education.