STUDENT MOTIVATIONAL PROFILES IN SCIENCE: TIMSS 2019 IN SERBIA*

Abstract

Understanding motivation for learning as a complex construct allows for education to be tailored to students’ individual characteristics and needs. Although different combinations of motivational factors lead to different outcomes, there is still a remarkable scarcity of research on students’ motivational profiles in science. To identify groups of fourth-graders characterized by different levels of intrinsic motivation and self-efficacy in science, we applied the person-centered approach. By conducting secondary analyses of data obtained via student questionnaires and science knowledge tests in TIMSS 2019 in Serbia, we examined motivational profiles’ structure and relations to achievement as well as the membership of students of different genders and profile stability across two research cycles. The cluster analysis revealed four profiles characterized by different levels of intrinsic motivation, self-efficacy, and achievement. Students who reported higher levels of motivation and self-efficacy were more successful than students with lower scores on these variables. Students who reported the highest levels of self-efficacy and moderate levels of motivation demonstrated the highest achievement levels. This finding indicates that teachers need to use strategies for improving competencies and enhancing students’ self-efficacy. It is necessary to examine contextual factors that might have contributed to the increase in the number of students who demonstrated low levels of intrinsic motivation and self-efficacy, and the lowest levels of achievement.