Abstract
Background
In the Korean educational system, academic achievement is one of the crucial factors in assessing a student’s academic ability for postsecondary education. Thus, many researchers have been studying ways to improve students’ academic achievement.
Objective
The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between students’ perceptions of teachers’ motivational behavior and students’ academic achievement, as well as the mediating effects of students’ motivation and self-efficacy on this relation.
Methods
Using the Korean Education Longitudinal Study data, we employed structural equation modeling to assess the impacts of different variables (i.e., students’ perceptions of their teachers’ motivational behavior, self-efficacy, and intrinsic motivation) on the academic achievements of 6227 middle school students’. We further examined whether these relationships differed depending on the school subject, specifically, reading, English, and mathematics.
Results
The results indicate that students’ self-efficacy and intrinsic motivation mediated the relation between students’ perceptions of teachers’ motivational behavior and students’ academic achievements in all three subjects.
Conclusion
This study suggests that students’ self-efficacy and intrinsic motivation increase when students perceive their teachers’ motivational behaviors positively, which ultimately improves their performance in reading, English, and mathematics.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Ahn, D. H., Kim, J. A., & Hwang, S. Y. (2005). Perceived competence, family processes, school climate and academic achievement: An examination of elementary, junior-high, and high school students. The Korean Journal of Educational Psychology, 19(4), 1199–1217.
Alderman, M. K. (2008). Motivation for achievement: Possibilities for teaching and learning. New York, NY: Routledge.
Anderman, L. H. (1999). Classroom goal orientation, school belonging, and social goals as predictors of students’ positive and negative affect following transition to middle school. Journal of Research and Development in Education, 32, 89–103.
Anderman, L. H., & Anderman, E. M. (1999). Social predictors of changes in students’ achievement goal orientations. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 24(10), 21–37.
Anderman, E. M., & Maehr, M. L. (1994). Motivation and schooling in the middle grades. Review of Educational Research, 64, 287–309.
Anderson, J. C., & Gerbing, D. W. (1988). Structural equation modeling in practice: A review and recommended two-step approach. Psychological Bulletin, 103, 411–423.
Ashton, P. T., & Webb, R. B. (1986). Making a difference: Teacher’s sense of efficacy and student achievement. New York: Longman.
Bandura, A. (1977). Self-efficacy: Toward a unifying theory of behavioral change. Psychological Review, 84(2), 191–215.
Bandura, A. (1986). Social foundations of thought and action: A social cognitive theory. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. NY: Freeman.
Bentler, P. M. (1990). Comparative fit indices in structural models. Psychological Bulletin, 107, 238–246. doi:10.1037/0033-2909.107.2.238.
Bentler, P. M., & Bonett, D. G. (1980). Significance tests and goodness of fit in the analysis of covariance structures. Psychological Bulletin, 88, 588–606. doi:10.1037/0033-2909.88.3.588.
Bong, M. (2001). Between- and within-domain relations of academic motivation among middle and high school students: Self-efficacy, task-value, and achievement goals. Journal of Educational Psychology, 93(1), 23–34.
Bong, M. (2002). Predictive utility of subject-, task-, and problem-specific self-efficacy judgments for immediate and delayed academic performances. The Journal of Experimental Education, 70(2), 133–162.
Britner, S. L., & Pajares, F. (2006). Sources of science self-efficacy beliefs of middle school students. Journal of research in science teaching, 43(5), 485–499.
Browne, M. W., & Cudeck, R. (1993). Alternative ways of assessing model fit. In K. A. Bollen & J. S. Long (Eds.), Testing structural equation models (pp. 136–162). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
Davidson, A. J., Gest, S. D., & Welsh, J. A. (2010). Relatedness with teachers and peers during early adolescence: An integrated variable-oriented and person-oriented approach. Journal of School Psychology, 48(6), 483–510. doi:10.1016/j.jsp.2010.08.002.
Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (1985). Intrinsic motivation and self-determination in human behavior. New York: Plenum.
Eccles, J., Adler, T. F., Futterman, R., Goff, S. B., Kaczala, C. M., Meece, J. L., & Midgley, C. (1983). Expectancies, values, and academic behaviors. In J. T. Spence (Ed.), Achievement and achievement motivation (pp. 75–146). San Francisco, CA: W. H. Freeman.
Eccles, J. S., & Midgley, C. (1989). Stage-environment fit: Developmentally appropriate classrooms for young adolescents. In C. Ames & R. Ames (Eds.), Research on motivation in education (Vol. 3, pp. 139–186). San Diego: Academic Press.
Eccles, J. S., Wigfield, A., & Schiefele, U. (1998). Motivation to succeed. In W. Damon and N. Eisenberg (Eds.), Handbook of child psychology (5th ed., Vol. 3, pp. 1017–1095). New York: Wiley.
Eccles, J. S., & Wigfield, A. (2000). Schooling’s influences on motivation and achievement. In S. Danzinger & J. Waldfogel (Eds.), Securing the future: Investing in children from birth to college (pp. 153–181). New York: Russell Sage Foundation.
Eccles, J. S., & Wigfield, A. (2002). Motivational beliefs, values, and goals. Annual Review of Psychology, 53(1), 109–132.
Eggen, P. D., & Kauchak, D. P. (2009). Educational psychology: Windows on classrooms (8th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education Inc.
Fast, L. A., Lewis, J. L., Bryant, M. J., Bocian, K. A., Cardullo, R. A., Rettig, M., & Hammond, K. A. (2010). Does math self-efficacy mediate the effect of the perceived classroom environment on standardized math test performance? Journal of Educational Psychology, 102(3), 729–740. doi:10.1037/a0018863.
Goodenow, C. (1993). The psychological sense of school membership among adolescents: Scale development and educational correlates. Psychology in the Schools, 30, 79–90.
Gottfried, A. E., Fleming, J. S., & Gottfried, A. W. (2001). Continuity of academic intrinsic motivation from childhood through late adolescence: A longitudinal study. Journal of Educational Psychology, 93, 3–13.
Gutman, L. M., & Midgley, C. (2000). The role of protective factors in supporting the academic achievement of poor African American students during the middle school transition. Journal of Youth and Adoelscence, 29(2), 223–249.
Han, S. (2004). The relationships between the academic motivation variables, cognitive strategies and academic achievement. The Korean Journal of Educational Psychology, 18(1), 329–350.
Harber, K. D., Gorman, J. L., Gengaro, F. P., Butisingh, S., Tsang, W., & Ouellette, R. (2012). Students’ race and teachers’ social support affect the positive feedback bias in public schools. Journal of Educational Psychology, 104(4), 1149–1161. doi:10.1037/a0028110.
Harter, S. (1981). A model of mastery motivation in children: Individual differences and developmental change. In W. A. Collins (Ed.), Aspects on the development of competence: The Minnesota symposia on child psychology (Vol. 14, pp. 215–255).
Harter, S. (1992). Visions of self: Beyond the me in the mirror. Nebraska Symposium on Motivation, 40, 99–144.
Hu, L., & Bentler, P. M. (1999). Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis: Conventional criteria versus new alternatives. Structural Equation Modeling: A Multidisciplinary Journal, 6, 1–55.
Jun, S., & Choi, B. (2009). Learning motivation. Seoul: Hakjisa.
Kim, A. (2003). Motivation in the classroom. The Korean Journal of Educational Psychology, 17(1), 5–36.
Klassen, R. (2004). A cross-cultural investigation of the efficacy beliefs of South Asian immigrant and Anglo non-immigrant early adolescents. Journal of Educational Psychology, 96, 731–742.
Klem, A. M., & Connell, J. P. (2004). Relationships matter: Linking teacher support to student engagement and achievement. Journal of School Health, 74(7), 262–273.
Kwaug, S., & Rhee, K. (2009). The analysis of the relationship between students’ self-regulated learning skills, teachers’ skills and academic achievement. Korean Journal of Educational Research, 29(1), 35–60.
Kwon, S., Seo, Y., & Lee, S. (2001). Designing Woo based environment for effective learning community building. Korean Association for Educational Information and Broadcasting, 7(4), 147–170.
Lee, M., Son, W., & Rho, A. (2007). PISA 2006 results. The Report of Korean of Educational Evaluation. RRE 2007-1.
Liu, X., & Koirala, H. (2009). The effect of mathematics self-efficacy on mathematics achievement of high school student. In: Proceedings of the NERA conference 2009.
Maulana, R., Opdenakker, M.-C., & Bosker, R. (2014). Teacher–student interpersonal relationships do change and affect academic motivation: A multilevel growth curve modeling. The British Journal of Educational Psychology, 84, 459–482. doi:10.1111/bjep.12031.
Maulana, R., Opdenakker, M.-C., Stroet, K., & Bosker, R. (2013). Changes in teachers’ involvement versus rejection and links with academic motivation during the first year of secondary education: A multilevel growth curve analysis. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 42(9), 1348–1371. doi:10.1007/s10964-013-9921-9.
Murdock, T. B. (1999). The social context of risk: Status and motivational predictors of alienation in middle school. Journal of Educational Psychology, 91, 62–75.
Murdock, T. B., & Miller, A. (2003). Teachers as source of middle school students’ motivational identity: Variable-centered and person-centered analytic approaches. The Elementary School Journal, 103(4), 383–399.
OECD. (2013). Students’ drive and motivation. In PISA 2012 results: Ready to learn (Volume III): Students’ engagement, drive, and self-beliefs. OECD Publishing. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/9789264201170-7-en.
OECD. (2014). PISA 2012 results: What students know and can do—student performance in mathematics, reading and science (Volume I, Revised edition, February 2014), PISA, OECD Publishing. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/9789264201118-en.
Pajares, F. (1996). Self-efficacy beliefs and mathematical problem-solving of gifted students. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 21, 325–344. Retrieved from http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0361476X96900259.
Pajares, F., & Graham, L. (1999). Self-efficacy, motivation constructs, and mathematics performance of entering middle school students. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 24(2), 124–139. doi:10.1006/ceps.1998.0991.
Pajares, F., & Miller, M. D. (1994). Role of self efficacy and self-concept beliefs in mathematical problem solving: A path analysis. Journal of Educational Psychology, 86(2), 193–203.
Pajares, F., & Miller, M. D. (1995). Mathematics self-efficacy and mathematics performances: The need for specificity of assessment. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 42(2), 190–198. doi:10.1037//0022-0167.42.2.190.
Park, C. (2007). The trend in the Korean middle school students’ affective variables toward mathematics and its effect on their mathematics achievements. Mathematical Education, 46(1), 19–31.
Park, H., & Jun, M. N. (2007). The effect of student, teacher, and school characteristics on middle school students’ Korean, English, and mathematics achievement outcomes. The Korean Journal of Educational Psychology, 21(1), 145–168.
Park, H., Lee, J., & Shin, H. (2004). Education in Korea: An appraisal based on OECD education indicators. The Report of Korean Educational Development Institute. RR 2005-16.
Patrick, H., Ryan, A. M., & Kaplan, A. (2007). Early adolescents’ perceptions of the classroom social environment, motivational beliefs, and engagement. Journal of Educational Psychology, 99(1), 83–98.
Pintrich, P. R., & De Groot, E. V. (1990). Motivational and self-regulated learning components of classroom academic performance. Journal of Educational Psychology, 82, 33–40. doi:10.1037/0022-0663.82.1.33.
Pintrich, P. R., Smith, D. A. F., Garcia, T., & McKeachie, W. J. (1993). Reliability and predictive validity of the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ). Educational and Psychological Measurement, 53, 801–813.
Ryu, H., Hyun, J., Kim, I., Kang, S., Kim, H., Park, S., & Min, B. (2005). Preliminary Survey Report for Korean Education Longitudinal Study, 2005(I). RR2005-18. Korean Educational Development Institute.
Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being. The American Psychologist, 55(1), 68–78. doi:10.1037/0003-066X.55.1.68.
Ryan, A., & Patrick, H. (2001). The classroom social environment and changes in adolescents’ motivation and engagement during middle school. American Educational Research Journal, 38, 437–460.
Scheider, B., & Lee, Y. (1990). A model for academic success: The school and home environment of East Asian students. Anthropology & Education Quarterly, 21(4), 358–377. doi:10.1525/aeq.1990.21.4.04x0596x.
Schunk, D. H. (1983). Reward contingencies and the development of children’s skills and self-efficacy. Journal of Educational Psychology, 75, 511–518.
Schunk, D. H. (1989). Self-efficacy and cognitive skill learning. In C. Ames & R. Ames (Eds.), Research on motivation in education. Goals and cognitions (Vol. 3, pp. 13–44). San Diego: Academic.
Schunk, D. H. (2003). Self-efficacy for reading and writing: Influence of modeling, goal setting, and self-evaluation. Reading & Writing Quarterly: Overcoming Learning Difficulties, 19, 159–172.
Schunk, D. H. (2004). Learning theories: An educational perspective. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill Prentice/Hall.
Seo, M. (2007). The analysis and evaluation of the educability based on educational indicators in Korea. Journal of Educational Evaluation, 20(3), 29–56.
Shell, D. F., Colvin, C., & Bruning, R. (1995). Self-efficacy, attribution, and outcome expectancy mechanism in reading and writing achievement: Grade-level and achievement-level differences. Journal of Educational Psychology, 71, 242–249.
Skinner, E. A., & Belmont, M. J. (1993). Motivation in the classroom: Reciprocal effects of teacher behavior and student engagement across the school year. Journal of Educational Psychology, 85(4), 571–581.
Spinath, B., & Spinath, F. M. (2005). Longitudinal analysis of the link between learning motivation and competence beliefs among elementary school children. Learning and Instruction, 15, 87–102.
Steenkamp, J.-B. E. M., & Baumgartner, H. (1998). Assessing measurement invariance in cross-national consumer research. Journal of Consumer Research, 25, 78–90.
Steiger, J. H., & Lind, J. M. (1980). Statistically based tests for the number of common factors. In Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Psychometric Society, Iowa City, IA.
Stevens, T., Wang, K., Olivárez, A., & Hamman, D. (2007). Use of self-perspectives and their sources to predict the mathematics enrollment intentions of girls and boys. Sex Roles, 56, 351–363. doi:10.1007/s11199-006-9180-2.
Usher, E. L., & Pajares, F. (2006a). Inviting confidence in school: Invitations as a critical source of the academic self-efficacy beliefs of entering middle school students. Journal of Invitational Theory and Practice, 12, 7–16.
Usher, E. L., & Pajares, F. (2006b). Sources of academic and self-regulatory efficacy beliefs of entering middle school students. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 31, 125–141.
Weems, C. F., Scott, B. G., Graham, R. A., Banks, D. M., Russell, J. D., Taylor, L. K., et al. (2014). Fitting anxious emotion focused intervention into the ecology of schools: Results from a test anxiety program evaluation. Prevention Science. doi:10.1007/s11121-014-0491-1.
Weems, C. F., Taylor, L. K., Costa, N. M., Marks, A. B., Romano, D. M., Verrett, S. L., & Brown, D. M. (2009). Effect of a school-based test anxiety intervention in ethnic minority youth exposed to Hurricane Katrina. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 30, 218–226.
West, S. G., Finch, J. F., & Curran, P. J. (1995). Structural equation models with non-normal variables: Problems and remedies. In R. Hoyle (Ed.), Structural equation modeling: Concepts, issues and applications (pp. 56–75). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
Wigfield, A., Eccles, J., MacIver, D., Reuman, D., & Midgley, C. (1991). Transitions during early adolescence: Changes in children’s domain specific self-perceptions and general self-esteem across the transition to junior high school. Developmental Psychology, 27, 552–565.
Woo, C. Y., & Park, Y. H. (2006). The relationship of learning motivation, attribution disposition and self-efficacy to academic achievement. Journal of Humanistic Studies, 20, 231–254.
Yi, H. S., & Lee, C. (2015). Analysis of longitudinal change of interest and self-confidence in mathematics among countries with high performance on TIMSS mathematics. The Journal of Curriculum and Evaluation, 18(2), 42–71.
Yom, H. C., & Cho, S. Y. (2007). The mediating effects of self-esteem and empathy on motivation of parenthood and definition of parenthood. The Korean Journal of Community Living Science, 18(4), 555–567.
Yoon, S., & Lim, S. A. (2013). Longitudinal study of the effect of teacher’s motivation and student’s self-efficacy on student’s intrinsic motivation in accordance with domain-specify. Korean Journal of Educational Research, 51(3), 267–293.
Acknowledgments
This work was partially supported by Sookmyung Women’s University, Seoul, Korea (Grant number 1-1303-0207). The funding source did not have any involvement in the study design; in the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data; in the writing of the report; or in the decision to submit the article for publication.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding authors
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
Ethical standard
The current study utilized secondary data that is available for public use. This data contains no identifiable information; therefore, it was not necessary to obtain research ethics approval.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
You, S., Dang, M. & Lim, S.A. Effects of Student Perceptions of Teachers’ Motivational Behavior on Reading, English, and Mathematics Achievement: The Mediating Role of Domain Specific Self-Efficacy and Intrinsic Motivation. Child Youth Care Forum 45, 221–240 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10566-015-9326-x
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10566-015-9326-x