Dynamics of research motivation: A retrospective analysis of outstanding master’s students

Abstract

To explore the characteristics of research motivation changes of outstanding master’s students and the factors influencing these changes, this study employed retrospective drawing and semi-structured in-depth interviews as data collection methods and surveyed five master’s students who received the honor of outstanding graduates at university level. Thematic analysis was used to process the interview data. The results demonstrated that the research motivation of outstanding master’s students exhibited nonlinear dynamics, self-organization, interindividual variability, and ergodicity. Thematic analysis revealed that factors causing changes in their research motivation include teachers’ influence, research team atmosphere, physical and mental factors, research outcomes, and subjective norms. These findings offer a new perspective for understanding the research motivation of master’s students and can provide decision-making references for improving graduate education.