Measuring student motivation in health professions' colleges

• Published in: Advances in health sciences education : theory and practice Vol. 6; no. 3; pp. 193 - 203
• Main Authors: PERROT, L. J, DELONEY, Linda A, HASTINGS, Jan K, SAVELL, Shelia, SAVIDGE, Mildred
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Heidelberg Springer 01-01-2001; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Education and psychology; Educational sciences; Goals; Humans; Independent study; Learning; Motivation; Motivation and affectivity; Preferences; Psychology and learning; Schools, Health Occupations; Students; Students, Medical - psychology; Students, Nursing - psychology; Students, Pharmacy - psychology; United States; USA; United States; Medicine; Motivation for Studies; Autonomy; Undergraduate; Nurse
• ISSN: 1382-4996; 1573-1677
• DOI: 10.1023/A:1012606722230

Active, independent, self-directed learning requires motivation, or a willingness to exert high levels of effort toward educational goals, conditioned by individual need. Motivation may be a function of individual differences or induced by situational constraints. Archer (1994), who used goal orientation to conceptualize university student motivation, theorized that students would exhibit a preference for either mastery orientation (desire to develop competence/increase understanding), performance orientation (desire to demonstrate competence/ability), or academic alienation (no concern for developing competence or demonstrating achievement). The purpose of this study was to identify and validate an instrument that would measure goal orientation preferences of students in health professions programs. The authors administered Archer's survey to a sample of medical, nursing, and pharmacy students to determine if the instrument was appropriate for this population. Results demonstrated that goal orientation preference could be measured in these students and confirmed the instrument's reliability and valid use for these populations.