Academic Motivation

Abstract

Motivation comes from the Latin word moveo, meaning to move, stir, agitate, provoke, or affect. Motivation answers the questions: Why do people act? Why do they behave in a given manner? Why do they continue or discontinue their behaviors? Motivation can be defined as the process responsible for the initiation, intensity, and persistence of behavior. Motives are causes that produce certain effects or actions (including inaction). The source of a person’s motivation may be intrinsic, derived from internal processes, and/or extrinsic, the result of external forces. Likewise, individuals can be impelled to act by conscious and nonconscious motives. Academic motivation refers to the cause of behaviors that are in some way related to academic functioning and success, such as how much effort students put forth, how effectively they regulate their work, which endeavors they choose to pursue, and how persistent they are when faced...