Individual and social factors related to students' academic achievement and motivation for learning

Abstract

The main objectives of this study were to determine the most frequent and the most significant individual and social factors related to students' academic achievement and motivation for learning. The study was conducted among 740 students from the Faculty of Education and the Faculty of Philosophy in Vojvodina. The participants completed questionnaires measuring students' dominant individual and social motivational factors, the level of their motivation for learning, the level of their academic achievement and students' socio-demographic characteristics. The results of this study showed that the students reported that both individual and social factors are related to their academic achievement and motivation for learning. Individual factors - the perceived interest in content and perceived content usefulness for personal development proved to be the most significant predictors of a high level of motivation for learning and academic success, but social motivational factors showed themselves to be the most frequent among students. The results are especially important for university teachers as guidelines for improving students' motivation.