The Study on the Relationship between Students’ Learning Motivation and their Achievement in Physics

Abstract

Educational researchers have carried out several reviews to understand the impact of various aspects of motivation on academic performance. Studies found a positive relationship between learning motivation and physics learning outcomes [42][45]. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between various aspects of motivation (Self-efficacy, Physics learning values, active learning strategies, achievement goal, performance goal, and learning environment) and academic achievement. A convergent parallel mixed-method design was used to explore the relationship between these variables. Data were collected from 183 students who were purposively selected using a survey questionnaire and focus group discussions. Quantitative data were analyzed for descriptive and inferential statistics while thematic analysis was conducted for focus group discussions and document analysis. Results show a positive and statistically significant relationship between academic performance and four constructs of motivation (Self-efficacy, Physics learning values, active learning strategies, and achievement goal). However, the relationship between academic achievement and the remaining two constructs (performance goal and learning environment) was not statistically significant. In addition, the results indicate a moderate level of learning motivation in physics among grade 10 students. The results reported here contribute to our understanding that motivation is crucial for learning and hence, it may shed new insights for teachers to plan their teaching and learning process considering the levels of motivation for promoting meaningful learning. Future research on the same topic can be conducted by considering the different aspects of learning motivation.