An Investigation of the correlation between motivation and students’ Academic achievement in science courses: The Case of Degree Students at Kotebe University of Education

Abstract

The study aimed to examine the correlation between students’ motivation and their academic achievement explained in terms of Cumulative Grade point Average (CGPA) and investigated the motivational factors' effect on the student’s overall academic achievement in the Applied Science courses.  393 students were selected using both stratified and random sampling techniques from the regular students attending 2^nd and 3^rd-year degree programs at Kotebe University of Education. Data were collected using a questionnaire to measure the intrinsic and extrinsic motivation of the sample students on a 5-point Likert scale. The results reveal that the supportive behavior of students significantly accounted for 1% of the variance in CGPA. Besides, students' supportive and personal behaviors significantly explained about 2.2% variance in the criterion measure (CGPA). However, assessing the relative importance of each factor, "challenging oneself" and "the need for personal growth and development" significantly contributed to 1.1% and 1.6 % of the variance in CGPA respectively. Such a low proportion of variance in CGPA might be associated with the range of restriction in scores of both independent and dependent variables. Thus, among the intrinsic motivation these two components appeared to be the direct factors that influence students’ CGPA in science courses. It could be inferred that students’ strong internal motivation seems to advance their successful science learning and achievement. Thus, to help students be motivated to learn science tangibly,  teachers’ commitment to using interactive methods, providing reasonably challenging tasks, and giving timely feedback, through organizing the science teaching and learning environment is decisive.