Intrinsic Motivation of Medical Students from a College with Active Methodology in Brazil: a Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

A cross-sectional study based on the Self Determination Theory to identify intrinsic motivation in the tutorial group scenario, and its associated factors in 276 medical students from a college in the Northeast of Brazil between October and December 2016. The Intrinsic Motivation Inventory was utilized following its adaptation and cross-cultural translation. Variables studied: age, gender, marital status, financial dependents, number of attempts at the university entrance exam for the medical course, current semester of study, previous undergraduate training, living with parents, choice of course by parental influence or pressure. Uni and multivariate Poisson analysis were carried out to assess the factors associated with intrinsic motivation; p <0.05 was considered as the significance level for statistical purposes. Average motivation score was 3.8, which indicates motivation. In 2 nd , 6 th and 10 th semester medicine students, the final model maintained as the variable associated with intrinsic motivation those who attempted the medical school entrance exam once or twice compared to those who had had three or more attempts (PR = 0.88, 95% CI (0.79-0.97), p = 0.011). In the analyses assessed by semester, in the second semester, students who had prior undergraduate training before medical school compared to those who had not was the remaining variable (PR = 0.92, 95% IC (0.87-0.97), p = 0.005). In the sixth semester, no statistically significant difference was found, and in the tenth semester the variable of those who attempted the medical school entrance exam once or twice remained (PR = 0.65, 95% IC (0.47-0.88), p = 0.006). The students seemed to be motivated in the group tutorial activity. The fewer number of medical school entry exam attempts and having previous undergraduate training were variables that showed association with intrinsic motivation.

Assessment of the intrinsic motivation of dental students to problem-based learning remotely

“…To assess students' intrinsic motivation, the Intrinsic Motivation Inventory (IMI) was used. The version of the instrument used in this study was cross-cultural validation and adaptation for the Brazilian population by Azevedo et al, (2019). The IMI is a Likert-type scale that contains a total of 45 items distributed in seven subscales, which assess: 1. interest/pleasure; 2. perceived competence; 3. effort/importance; 4. pressure/tension; 5. perception of choice; 6. value/utility; and 7. integration (relationship) during the performance of a certain activity.…”

“…For the PBL method to achieve its goals of working on the student's initiative and self-learning, individual student motivation is necessary to ensure the quality of the teaching-learning process (Azevedo et al, 2019). The word motivation derives from the Latin "movere", which means "to move", "everything that can move".…”

“…Human motivation and its interfaces with the area of education can be studied through the Theory of Self-Determination (Hackney, 2017;Howard et al, 2021), which aims to improve one's motivation at work, interpersonal relationships, and the teaching-learning process. This theory is divided into Intrinsic Motivation (IM), Extrinsic Motivation (EM), and Demotivation (Azevedo et al, 2019;Cook & Artino, 2016). Intrinsic motivation is linked to the inner strength that will stimulate the individual to achieve their goals, objectives, and personal projects.…”

“…One of the instruments used to assess intrinsic motivation is the Intrinsic Motivation Inventory (IMI). This instrument was duly translated, adapted and validated for Brazilian Portuguese (Azevedo et al, 2019;Cook & Artino, 2016). It is composed of seven subscales or domains that assess different aspects such as interest/pleasure; perceived competence; effort/importance; pressure/tension; perception of choice; value/utility; and relationships.…”

“…It is composed of seven subscales or domains that assess different aspects such as interest/pleasure; perceived competence; effort/importance; pressure/tension; perception of choice; value/utility; and relationships. Several authors have studied the impact of IM on individual performance in various contexts applied to teaching (Azevedo et al, 2019;Cook & Artino, 2016;Kusurkar et al, 2012;Kusurkar et al, 2011), involving students of different ages and courses (Azevedo et al, 2019Kusurkar et al, 2012Kusurkar et al, 2011;Orsini et al, 2015Robinson et al, 2012 employees and preceptors (Kusurkar et al, 2012;Ohly & Fritz, 2007) and have found a positive relationship between IM and individual performance. However, the literature does not report on the motivation of dentistry students for the PBL method using a remote teaching tool.…”