Antecedents and Relative Importance of Student Motivation for Science and Mathematics Achievement in TIMSS

Abstract

Although motivation has been shown to have substantial influence on learning, the relative significance of Students’ motivational characteristics, compared to other school-related factors, for student learning and performance is still unclear. Furthermore, knowledge about the relative importance of different situational variables for predicting these motivational characteristics is crucial for educational decisions about how to enhance student motivation. This study examined (1) the relative importance of motivational characteristics derived from five different theories on motivation and epistemic beliefs, compared to almost 300 situational factors, for predicting student performance on the TIMSS 2011 achievement tests in science and mathematics, and (2) how student motivational characteristics can be predicted by the background variables in the TIMSS 2011 questionnaires and an additional questionnaire about motivation accompanying TIMSS in Sweden. Up to 52% of the variation in student performance could be predicted by models containing all background variables, and student motivational characteristics were among the most important variables in the model. Models that comprised only student motivational characteristics from several motivation theories predicted up to 27% of student performance on the achievement test, while models using only single motivational characteristics predicted, on average, 7%. Results emphasize teachers’ importance for student motivation. Five teacher features were consistently among the most important variables in predicting Students’ motivational characteristics. These five variables predicted as much of the variation in important student motivational characteristics as the remaining 300 situational variables together.

A motivational account of achievement differences in mathematics using TIMSS data: an African focus

“…To this end, a near-consensus exists in the literature that motivation plays crucial roles in students' achievement (Middleton & Spanias, 1999). This has informed a plethora of studies that have found justifications for explaining achievement differences based on variations in students' levels of motivation (Wilkins, 2004;Winberg & Palm, 2021).…”

“…In pursuit of this, Ersan and Rodriguez included malleable factors (e.g., interest) into their model even as they found that "SES at both student and school levels is a dominant factor related to mathematics achievement and a much stronger predictor at the school level" (2020, p. 1). Relatedly, Winberg and Palm's (2021) study of 300 variables that were hypothesized to account for achievement differences magnified the fundamental roles of students' self-concept, interest, and usefulness. Perhaps a consequence of their multicollinear nature, they found that these variables better function as a collective rather than isolated predictors of achievement.…”

“…Such factors within the students have been stated to include gender (Kirkham & Chapman, 2022;Mejía-Rodríguez et al, 2021), age (Wilkins, 2004), socioeconomic status (Ersan & Rodriguez, 2020), study expectations (Winberg & Palm, 2021), achievement history (Ma, 1996) and a commitment to further studies which was particularly found to have the most influence on achievement in Ghana, Botswana, South Africa, Egypt, and Morocco (Bofah & Hannula, 2015). Researchers have also relied on findings from school characteristics to explain the rationale for differences in student achievement.…”

“…In one of those studies, Lee and Chen (2019) found bullying and sense of belonging as holding varying relationships with achievement in Egypt, Morocco, and South Africa. Other factors outside of the students' control include the school's socio-economic status, readiness, and quality of instruction (Ersan & Rodriguez, 2020), school location (Webster & Fisher, 2000), curricula coherence (Linn et al, 2000), teachers' responsiveness (Bofah & Hannula, 2015) and expressing belief in student's ability (Winberg & Palm, 2021). This line of research has also reinforced the place of the home environment in the achievement profiles of students, touching on learning resources (Winberg & Palm, 2021), parents' education and involvement (Bofah & Hannula, 2015), attitudes and expectations (Mejía-Rodríguez et al, 2021).…”

“…Consequently, some researchers have sought to explain achievement differences via state-like affective constructs (Middleton et al, 2017) whose malleability offers more pedagogical implications for individuals as well as groups that work closely and make decisions that directly impact students' outcomes. Prominent among these variables have been attitudes (Kadijevich, 2008;Webster & Fisher, 2000), anxiety (Sengul, 2015;Winberg & Palm, 2021), interest (Lee & Chen, 2019), self-concept (Wilkins, 2004), and usefulness of mathematics (Winberg & Palm, 2021).…”