Are future teachers academically motivated?
Abstract
Academic motivation is essential in future teachers, as they will be the educators of the next generations. The aim of this work was to study the degree of global academic motivation, self-efficacy, achievement motivation and causal attribution of achievement in this group, observing the influence of personal and academic variables. The sample consisted of 266 female and 58 male university students of Primary Education and Early Childhood Education, with an average age of 21.77 years. The School Motivation Scale (Barrientos- Chuqui, 2011) was used. The results indicated, overall, a medium-high tendency in academic motivation and in the three constructs of which it is composed. Female students had higher achievement motivation and male students had higher self-efficacy. Causal attribution and self-efficacy were higher in Primary Education students. There were no differences according to choice of specialisation. The best motivation scores were in the final year, and the higher the age, the better the motivation ratings, with the exception of self-efficacy. It is suggested that there is a need to design interventions that address gender differences and improve some motivational dimensions in the Early Childhood Education Degree and in the first academic years.
Keywords
motivation for studies, university students, educational sciencesReferences
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