Motives for higher education: a study of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation in relation to academic attainment

Whitehead, Joan M.

doi:10.1080/0305764840140204

Cited by 17 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…The fact that the corre- lation, though significant, is not particularly high would, however, indicate that many students might be motivated by one set of factors but not the other. These results mirror earlier work done by Whitehead (1984) on the motives for higher education of sixth formers. Using a more representative national sample, she also identified two factors, one concerned with intrinsic motivation (the enjoyment and challenge of academic tasks, satisfaction of curiosity and task persistence) and the other reflecting the extrinsic benefits of higher education (recognition of achievements by others, high status, highly paid jobs).…”

Section: Factors Relating To Application To Cambridgesupporting

confidence: 93%

University Choice: What Influences the Decisions of Academically Successful Post‐16 Students?

Whitehead

Raffan

Deaney

2006

Higher Education Quarterly

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The questionnaire survey reported in this paper is part of an ongoing evaluation of the effect of a bursary scheme on recruitment to Cambridge University. It sought to identify factors that encouraged or discouraged highly successful A Level students from applying to Cambridge. Findings reveal three main dimensions associated with the decision to apply to Cambridge, the nature of the courses, the prestige of the university and anxiety about the application process combined with fear of failure. Further analyses showed that there were complex interactions between these three dimensions which governed the decision to apply to Cambridge. These findings are relevant to other prestigious universities. The availability of a bursary did appear to influence the decisions of those who were eligible, but its influence was not as great as some of the other factors. Literature reviewDespite rapid expansion of higher education (HE) in the 1960s, Britain's participation rate was relatively low when compared with similar developed countries. In 1988, the rate was about 18.7 per cent at age 18-19 in full-time education and training in (aggregated) England, Scotland and Wales (OECD, 1990), compared with about 55 per cent in the USA, 60 per cent in France and 65 per cent in Germany. Since the mid-1990s, however, the government has been determined to increase the number of British citizens who benefit from HE, and by 2000 the participation rate had risen to 43 per cent in England (DfEE, 2000). The Government's White Paper 'The Future of Higher Education' suggested that

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Section: Factors Relating To Application To Cambridgesupporting

confidence: 93%

University Choice: What Influences the Decisions of Academically Successful Post‐16 Students?

Whitehead

Raffan

Deaney

2006

Higher Education Quarterly

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“…For educators, the crucial differences are in students' enjoyment of formal learning experiences. This is particularly so because intrinsic enjoyment of learning appears to be associated with greater creativity (e.g., Amabile 1985) and higher school achievement (e.g., Gottfried 1985;Mayers 1978;Whitehead 1984). For example, among the math-talented American students, we found that when doing schoolwork, the high achieving members of the group were more often in the flow channel than were the equally talented low achievers (Csikszentmihalyi and Nakamura 1986).…”

Section: Future Directions In the Study Of Intrinsic Motivationmentioning

confidence: 83%

The Dynamics of Intrinsic Motivation: A Study of Adolescents

Csíkszentmihályi

Nakamura

2014

Flow and the Foundations of Positive Psychology

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“…This is particularly so because intrinsic enjoyment of learning appears to be associated with greater creativity (e.g., Amabile 1985) and higher school achievement (e.g., Gottfried 1985;Whitehead 1984). For educators, the crucial differences are in students' enjoyment of formal learning experiences.…”

Section: Future Directions In the Study Of Intrinsic Motivationmentioning

confidence: 99%