Research on the Impact of Motivation on Academic Achievement

This research paper investigates the correlation between students’ motivation and academic achievement, utilizing data collected from various departments at Harvard University. The study distinguishes between extrinsic and intrinsic motivation, identifying factors such as social pressure, self-exploration, and social enjoyment as influential variables. The findings indicate that both extrinsic and intrinsic motivation positively impact academic performance, with intrinsic motivation having a more significant effect. The report also highlights the role of parents' involvement, rewards, and teacher enthusiasm in reinforcing student motivation, emphasizing the essential role of motivation in student success. Desklib provides access to similar research papers and study tools for students.

Running head: RESEARCH 1
RESEARCH
Name
Institution

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Table of Contents
Abstract............................................................................................................................................3
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
Literature review..............................................................................................................................4
Methodology....................................................................................................................................5
Data collection.............................................................................................................................5
Conclusion and recommendation....................................................................................................5
References........................................................................................................................................6

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Abstract
The main purpose of this paper is to widen the knowledge and to find out the correlation
between students’ motivation for their academic achievement. The data was collected from
different departments in Harvard University. The questionnaire was separated into three major
sections. The first section explained the details of the students’ personal information. The second
section measured student’s extrinsic and intrinsic motivation and the last section of the
Questionnaire contains questions about student’s academic performance. The study discloses that
extrinsic motivation and intrinsic motivation had a positive influence on the academic
performance of the students (Chen et.al, 2018). To an individual basis, the variables that
influence academic performance include social pressure, self-exploration and social enjoyment.
These variables also had a positive influence on academic performance. The paper also discusses
the three factors that reinforce the motivation of the students. They include parents’ involvement,
rewards, and teacher’s enthusiasm. This study discloses that motivation is essential to students
study and it also plays a key role in the success of the students.
Keywords: Academic performance, students’ motivation, extrinsic motivation, intrinsic
motivation.
Introduction
Motivation can be defined as a psychological process which makes an individual act in a
manner that helps her/him to accomplish unsatisfied needs. Academic performance or academic
achievement is the extent to which institution, teacher or student has attained their long or short-

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term educational goals. Motivation performs an essential role in education. Students’ therefore
requires motivation or reason to perform well academically. There are two kinds of motivations.
The first one is extrinsic motivation and the second one is intrinsic motivation. Two variables
affect intrinsic motivation, and they include Altruism and self-exploration. In extrinsic
motivation individual work hard for a better future or enjoyment. The factors that affect extrinsic
education include social pressure (Gunderson et.al, 2018). This is a situation whereby a student
undertakes his/her home assignments because of the fear of their parents. All the three factors are
independent variable while Academic performance is DV (dependent variable). The main
purpose of this research paper is to investigate if there any correlation between students’
motivation and Academic Achievement (Stajkovic et.al, 2018).
Literature review
According to researchers, early methods of studying motivation were embedded in the
literature on intrinsic reinforcement. The three main factors that reinforce the motivation of the
students include rewards, punishment and parent’s involvement. This literature review affirms
that reinforcement contingencies control all behavior such as motivation. Extrinsic reinforcement
facilitates the development of a different approach known as (CBM) cognitive behavior
modification. This approach motivates students in that it recognizes the importance of reward
contingencies as a factor that is capable of reinforcing the excellent work done by the students.
Under this approach, students monitor their behavior, administer their reward and set their own
goals. This approach encouraged students to have full control over their learning. Parents’
involvement is one of the essential factors that reinforce the student’s motivation (Everaert,
Opdecam & Maussen, 2017). Parents can contribute knowledge and insights that complement the

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skills of teachers in ways that reinforce social and academic programs. Parents provide suitable
resources to their children when they are at home because they want them to live a better life in
the future. Parent involvement relied on the cognitive theories of motivation which are concerned
with finding out how people behavior is energized and directed by human cognitive processes.
Lastly, corporal punishment can also reinforce the student’s motivation. The research conducted
by different researchers found out that punishment offered by teachers can motivate students to
learn in their classroom. Corporal punishment may also inhibit the student’s learning process.
Methodology
Data collection
This research study relies on the primary data. The data used in this research study have
been gathered from the students currently registered in different departments at Harvard
University. The students were asked questions about how they are motivated and things in
reality that motivates them to study. We also asked them about their experiences of the
institution.
Conclusion and recommendations
The research paper helps in finding out the relation between Academic Achievement and
Motivation. It confirms that motivation has a positive influence on the academic achievement of
the student. The study also confirms that intrinsic motivation has a higher positive impact than
extrinsic motivation (Zhang & Lynch, 2018). This means that the students that are intrinsically
motivated achieve well than those that are motivated extrinsically. The variables tested in this

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study have a positive correlation with Academic Achievement. The factors tested in this study
include social pressure, self-exploration and social enjoyment.
From the research study, we can say that all the variables of extrinsic and intrinsic
motivation increase the Academic performance of the student. However, research should be
conducted to find out how extrinsic motivation can be made to enhance the academic
performance and productivity of the students.

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References
Chen, L., Bae, S. R., Battista, C., Qin, S., Chen, T., Evans, T. M., & Menon, V. (2018). Positive
Attitude Toward Math Supports Early Academic Success: Behavioral Evidence and
Neurocognitive Mechanisms. Psychological science, 29(3), 390-402.
Everaert, P., Opdecam, E., & Maussen, S. (2017). The relationship between motivation, learning
approaches, academic performance and time spent. Accounting Education, 26(1), 78-107.
Gunderson, E. A., Sorhagen, N. S., Gripshover, S. J., Dweck, C. S., Goldin-Meadow, S., &
Levine, S. C. (2018). Parent praise to toddlers predicts fourth grade academic
achievement via children’s incremental mindsets. Developmental psychology, 54(3), 397.
Stajkovic, A. D., Bandura, A., Locke, E. A., Lee, D., & Sergent, K. (2018). Test of three
conceptual models of influence of the big five personality traits and self-efficacy on
academic performance: A meta-analytic path-analysis. Personality and Individual
Differences, 120, 238-245.
Topçu, S., & Leana-Taşcılar, M. Z. (2018). The role of motivation and self-esteem in the
academic achievement of Turkish gifted students. Gifted Education International, 34(1),
3-18.
Zhang, J., & Lynch, R. (2018). The Relationship Between Primary 5 and 6 Students’ Perceptions
of Parental Encouragement and Their Academic Achievement in Mandarin Learning at
An International School, Bangkok. Scholar: Human Sciences, 9(2), 243.