School Atmosphere and Socio-Demographic Variables As Predictors of Secondary School Students’ Academic Motivation

Abstract

The aim of this study is to examine the role of school atmosphere and socio-demographic variables (gender, class level, place of residence and presence of a computer at home) on the academic motivation of secondary school students. A total of 940 7th and 8th grade students studying at a public school participated in the study. “Academic Motivation Scale”, “School Atmosphere Scale” and “Personal Information Form” were used as data collection tools in the research. Regression analysis and t test were used in the analysis of the data. According to the results of the research, 15% of the change in academic motivation is explained by the variables of gender, age, cumulative grand point average and school atmosphere. While the cumulative grand point average and school atmosphere significantly predicted academic motivation, age and gender did not. In addition, while there was no significant relationship between female and male students in terms of academic motivation scores; a significant difference was found in terms of academic motivation scores in favor of students who attend the 7th grade, live in the village and do not have a computer at home. Findings reveal the importance of school atmosphere and environmental factors in increasing students' academic motivation.