“I can’t be arsed”: A small‐scale exploration of students’ self‐reported motivation on entering a course of study and eventual “success”

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the university course trajectories of students from entry to a 3‐year full‐time undergraduate programme, to graduation with an honours degree, in the light of their self‐reported motivations to study. This small‐scale investigation took place at a UK Higher Education Institution (HEI).

Design/methodology/approach

A small‐scale survey using the Academic Motivation (to study) Scale was administered to 102 students on entry to a full‐time undergraduate degree course in an interdisciplinary information‐based department in a UK HEI. The students’ motivation profiles were assessed in relation to their trajectory through the degree course and selected students were interviewed just prior to graduation.

Findings

The report focuses on the pattern of student motivations – in general students who achieved “good” degrees were likely to have lower motivation and students achieving “not so good” degrees were likely to self‐report higher levels of both autonomous and controlled motivations. Whilst the small sample size and individual variation may partly explain these results, interviews with a small number of participants allowed some further explication of these patterns.

Research limitations/implications

Because of the complexity of variables potentially involved in studies relating to motivation, the focus of this study was practitioner reflection. Thus, it examines self‐reported motivations measured on a established scale and ‘success’ in terms of progression and attainment. The research findings were from a small cohort study in a convenience sample of 102 students in a particular context, so there are necessarily limits on the generalisability of the study.

Practical implications

Elements around student achievement and progression related to their motivation are identified, and may contribute to effective design of learning experiences that students “can be arsed” to engage in.

Originality/value

New empirical data are reported which provide an insight into student attitudes to study and the applicability of teacher responses, which are briefly discussed in relation to socio‐cognitive and socio‐cultural perspectives.

Citation

Prowse, A. and Delbridge, R. (2013), "“I can’t be arsed”: A small‐scale exploration of students’ self‐reported motivation on entering a course of study and eventual “success”", Education + Training, Vol. 55 No. 7, pp. 654-664. https://doi.org/10.1108/ET-05-2012-0061