Motives for Studying and Student Wellbeing: Validation of the Motivational Mindset Model

Abstract

Research on the joint effect of multiple motives for studying was recently given a push in a new direction with the introduction of the motivational mindset model (MMM). This model contributes to a better understanding of study success and student wellbeing in higher education. The aim of the present study is to validate the newly developed model and the associated mindset classification tool (MCT). To this end, 662 first-year university students were classified in one of the four types of motivational mindset using the classification tool and three exploratory validation procedures were conducted through sense of purpose, study engagement, and students’ background characteristics in terms of gender and ethnicity. Both purpose and study engagement are central dimensions of student wellbeing and predictors of study success. The results show that (1) sense of purpose and study engagement differ across the four types of mindset, (2) students in the low-impact mindset show the least optimal pattern of study engagement and sense of purpose, (3) sense of purpose and study engagement are positively related and this relationship is consistent across mindsets, and (4) overall differences in purpose and study engagement between gender and ethnic subgroups stem from one specific type of motivational mindset. The results provide support for the validity of the MMM and the usefulness of the MCT. The implications of the findings are discussed as well as promising avenues for future research.

Motivational mindsets, mindset churn and academic performance: The role of a goal-setting intervention and purpose in life

“…The self-impact mindset had a weaker sense of purpose than the high-impact and social-impact mindset, while these students reported equal feelings of engagement toward their studies as the social-impact mindset students. The low-impact mindset students revealed the least optimal pattern in the two student qualities: the weakest sense of purpose and lowest level of study engagement (Hudig et al, 2021).…”

“…A follow-up study showed that sense of purpose and study engagement were meaningfully related to the motivational mindsets (Hudig et al, 2021). Both purpose and study engagement are central dimensions of wellbeing and important predictors of study success (Dahl et al, 2020;Martínez et al, 2019;Pizzolato et al, 2011;Widlund et al, 2018).…”

“…Among high-school students, they found that an increased sense of purpose was associated with a greater sense of internal control over their academic achievement, which in turn was related to a higher grade point average (GPA). Furthermore, research has indicated that a sense of purpose is positively related to study engagement (Hudig et al, 2021). Students with a sense of purpose find school more meaningful (Yeager & Bundick, 2009), and seeing the value and relevance of schoolwork increases student engagement (Vansteenkiste et al, 2018).…”

“…Specifically, we extend our proposition and propose that the goal-setting intervention works differently for students with different pre-intervention levels of purpose. These varying purpose levels can be distinguished on the basis of various combinations of motives for studying in terms of the motivational mindsets (Hudig et al, 2021). Hence, the current study examines whether the goal-setting intervention has a different effect on the purpose of the four types of motivational mindsets.…”

“…A recent line of research therefore introduced a student-centered, multidimensional perspective of student motivation with the aim to better understand and more fully explain differences in student behavior and performance. Hudig et al (2020Hudig et al ( , 2021 developed and validated the motivational mindset model (MMM), which classifies students into types of "motivational mindset" that relate to different combinations of co-occurring motives for studying.…”