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Factors Associated with Motivation in Medical Students: A 30-Month Longitudinal Study

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Abstract

This longitudinal study aimed to assess the factors associated with motivation in 303 Brazilian medical students after a 30-month follow-up. Their demographics, study habits, sleep quality, motivation (Brazilian version of the Academic Motivation Scale-BAMS), learning approaches (R-SPQ-2F scale), and stressors (MSSF-Medical Student Stress Factor scale) were examined. We found an increase in amotivation and extrinsic motivation through external regulation (e.g., “I come to school to earn a degree”) and a decrease in intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation through integrated regulation (e.g., “because studying broadens our horizons”) in medical students after the 30-month follow-up. Students in earlier stages of medical training showed greater increases in amotivation. Factors such as the learning approach, hours spent studying, sex, stressors, studying just before examinations, and sleep problems were predictors of the different dimensions of motivation. Medical students’ motivation changed negatively as medical training progressed.

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Availability of Data and Materials

The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Abbreviations

BAMS:

Brazilian version of the Academic Motivation Scale-BAMS

MSSF:

Medical Student Stress Factor scale

R-SPQ-2F scale:

Revised Two-factor Study Process Questionnaire

SDT:

Self-Determination Theory

UFJF:

Federal University of Juiz de Fora, Brazil

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medical Education, School of Medicine, Federal University of Juiz de Fora (UFJF), Av. Eugênio do Nascimento s/nº, Bairro: Dom Bosco, Juiz de Fora, MG, 36038-330, Brazil

    Oscarina da Silva Ezequiel, Alessandra Lamas Granero Lucchetti, Pedro Freitas Melo, Marcela Gonik Dias, Daniel Ferreira Lana e Silva, Thaís Laranjeira Lameira, Giulia Machado Caldeira Ardisson, Bruna Teixeira de Almeida & Giancarlo Lucchetti

  2. School of Medicine, Post-Graduate Program in Health, UFJF, Juiz de Fora, Brazil

    Alessandra Lamas Granero Lucchetti

Authors
  1. Oscarina da Silva Ezequiel
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  2. Alessandra Lamas Granero Lucchetti
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  3. Pedro Freitas Melo
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  4. Marcela Gonik Dias
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  5. Daniel Ferreira Lana e Silva
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  9. Giancarlo Lucchetti
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Contributions

All authors contributed to the study conception, design, and material preparation. Data collection was performed by Pedro Freitas Melo, Marcela Gonik Dias, Daniel Ferreira Lana e Silva, Thaís Laranjeira Lameira, Giulia Machado Caldeira Ardisson, and Bruna Teixeira de Almeida; the analyses were performed by Giancarlo Lucchetti and Alessandra Lamas Granero Lucchetti. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Oscarina da Silva Ezequiel and Giancarlo Lucchetti, and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Giancarlo Lucchetti.

Ethics declarations

Ethics Approval and Consent to Participate

The project was approved by the University Teaching Hospital/UFJF’s Research Ethics Committee under Permit No. 2.742.787, and all study participants signed a consent form.

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Not applicable

Competing Interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

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da Silva Ezequiel, O., Lucchetti, A.L.G., Melo, P.F. et al. Factors Associated with Motivation in Medical Students: A 30-Month Longitudinal Study. Med.Sci.Educ. 32, 1375–1385 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40670-022-01651-5

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