The Mediating Role of Student Motivation in the Linking of Perceived School Climate and Achievement in Reading and Mathematics

Abstract

While the current literature provides valuable insight into how school climate and student motivation impact academic achievement, research examining the mediating effects of motivation in the linking of school climate perceptions and achievement is limited. The current study employed structural equation modeling to examine a model that illustrates the role of self-efficacy and intrinsic motivation in the linking of student perceptions of school climate (teacher/student relationship, order/safety/discipline, fairness/clarity of school rules) to reading and mathematics achievement. Analysis used data from the Educational Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS: 2002, 2004) that were gathered in a survey conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics (2004) and are representative of a national sample of 14,639 10th grade students. The results showed that the hypothesized model fit the data well supporting the hypothesis that student self-efficacy and intrinsic motivation play a mediating role in the linking of perceptions of school climate with reading and mathematics achievement. Additionally, students' perceptions of school climate related significantly with both achievement outcomes, and perceptions of school climate concerning teacher/student relationship related significantly with all motivation variables both self-efficacy and intrinsic motivation.

Autonomy Supportive Contexts, Autonomous Motivation, and Self-Efficacy Predict Academic Adjustment of First-Year University Students

“…Studies that have applied SDT in the education have shown that self-determined motivation is associated with a higher degree of academic adjustment in all levels of schooling. Specifically, autonomous motives are associated with greater academic persistence and better academic performance (Turner et al, 2009;Alivernini and Lucidi, 2011;Gillet et al, 2012;Alivernini et al, 2016;Fan and Williams, 2018). In the university context, Turner et al (2009) found that intrinsic motivation predicted academic performance in undergraduate students enrolled in psychology courses; Ratelle et al (2007), in a study on first-year college students, found that students with high levels of self-determined motivations were more persistent than students with lower levels of self-determined motivation.…”

“…Research has shown that students' motivational resources and competence beliefs in their own capabilities have a central role in predicting academic adjustment outcomes such as academic performance and persistence (Gillet et al, 2012;Fan and Williams, 2018). A theoretical framework that has shown to be valid in studying the process leading to academic adjustment outcomes of students is self-determination theory (SDT, Deci and Ryan, 1985;Ryan and Deci, 2017).…”

“…Furthermore, as previous studies have found that the rising demands and academic pressure of university make it essential for students to have strong beliefs in their own abilities (Usher and Pajares, 2008;Wright et al, 2013), it was also investigated whether first-year students' competence beliefs contributed to their academic adjustment. Finally, because both students' motivation and academic competence beliefs are found to be influenced by autonomy supportive behavior, we also examined whether support for autonomy provided by teachers and parents affected students' motivation and academic self-efficacy in first-year students (Gillet et al, 2012;Fan and Williams, 2018). The purpose of the present study therefore is to examine how perceived autonomy support, autonomous motivation and self-efficacy predict undergraduate university students' early academic adjustment.…”

Academic Motivation of Elementary School Children in Two Educational Approaches — Innovative and Traditional

“…A recent large-sample study of high school students showed that intrinsic motivation mediates the link between perceived school climate (in particular, the teacher-student relationship) and achievement in reading and math (Fan & Williams, 2018). We hoped to replicate these findings using a sample of elementary school children, utilizing the SDT perspective on motivation.…”

“…2. Building on our own research as well as the work by Fan and Williams (2018), we expected that the developmental education system would have an impact on student motivation, which in turn would be associated with higher grades.…”