Typology of undergraduate students by academic performance and aspects of achievement motivation

Abstract

The contribution presents results of the non-hierarchical cluster analysis of academic performance and aspects of achievement motivation of a sample of undergraduate students. The Achievement Motivation Questionnaire (AMQ) (Dotazník motivácie výkonu, Pardel, Maršálová, Hrabovská, 1984) was used as the research method. School success was established using the arithmetic mean of study results of 213 undergraduate students after completion of a term. In the AMQ, the Achievement Motive variable was focused on, consisting of the following aspects: achievement-oriented behaviour, aspiration level, perseverance at work, and future time orientation. The main aim of our research was to determine undergraduate student types by their academic performance and aspects of achievement motive. Based on the assessment of generated three to six-cluster solutions, the six-cluster solution appeared optimal, within which the following types of undergraduate students were identified: type of unused potential, unbalanced type, balanced type, type unoriented in time, academically indifferent type, and industrious type.