Academic motivation as a predictor of the development of critical thinking in students
Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education
ISSN: 2050-7003
Article publication date: 21 May 2021
Issue publication date: 31 May 2022
Abstract
Purpose
The study deals with the problems of development of critical thinking among university students, its connection with motivation for learning and academic achievements of students. The purpose of the study is to define the relationship between academic motivation and critical thinking.
Design/methodology/approach
The study involved a survey based on the academic motivation scale. A total of 520 students from four universities in Russia and one Bulgaria University were interviewed.
Findings
The analysis of the questionnaires showed that among the students surveyed the types of motivation contributing to self-development and analysis predominate, namely self-development, cognitive, achievement and self-esteem motivation. The null hypothesis of the study that there was no difference between the average score of the critical thinking test (Watson Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal, WGCTA) for total sample and the results of students with dominant types of academic motivation that contribute to critical thinking was rejected.
Originality/value
It was revealed that academic motivation has a notable effect on critical thinking and can become a predictor of its development. Several ways have been proposed to track and help students with low academic motivation: regular testing, identification of students with amotivation and strong extrinsic motivation, and psychological support for such students.
Keywords
Citation
Berestova, A., Kolosov, S., Tsvetkova, M. and Grib, E. (2022), "Academic motivation as a predictor of the development of critical thinking in students", Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education, Vol. 14 No. 3, pp. 1041-1054. https://doi.org/10.1108/JARHE-02-2021-0081
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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