Students' motivational orientations and their study well-being across different disciplines

Abstract

The study aimed to analyze motivational orientation among 1st to 5th year students from different disciplines. Students were clustered according to motivation scores, and the relationships between the disciplines and the students' perceptions of their study well-being were examined. The study was conducted with two cohorts from a sample of 2347 students. Students completed a questionnaire exploring motivational orientation and study well-being, including engagement, burnout, and self-compassion. The latent profile approach facilitated examination of motivational orientation profiles and the extent to which perceived study well-being was related to motivational group identification. From the results, the students were classified into three motivation groups: mastery-oriented, moderation-oriented, and avoidance-oriented. The seven faculties showed significant differences relative to the motivational profile groups. Multinomial logistic regression analysis revealed differences between motivation group variables and study well-being factors.

Educational relevance and implication

The findings shed light on the interplay between motivational orientations, study-related well-being, and academic disciplines, highlighting variations among higher education students in these aspects. The results indicate that the academic discipline plays a significant role in determining students' motivational profiles and study-related well-being, where motivational orientation and study well-being inventories could prove to be a very useful tool for identifying students' motivation and learning processes and the extent to which such processes are related to study well-being. Another finding of this study is the need to create teaching and learning environments that support the interests of the individual, and consequently, their study-related well-being; for instance, educators may support students to develop metacognitive awareness, and coping skills that will help them to manage learning situations, or curriculum changes may reduce the study workload, refine goals and support students in developing organizing skills, enhancing their overall well-being and academic success. Additionally, improved study and career guidance will enable each student to identify their motivation and its components, as well as develop the motivation needed to meet the demands of their discipline; for example, face-to-face and web-based guidance can help students strengthen how they manage their time and effort dedicated to studying, promoting improved study skills. Students with unclear or low study-related motivation, or who experience study-related burnout, will particularly benefit from this kind of support, which should be integrated early on in study programs to help students approach course challenges.