Academic Motivation of Students With Diverse Family Backgrounds and the Explanatory Power of Parental Influences

• In Event: Family Background, Parental Engagement, and Student Motivation and Achievement

Abstract

Objectives
The international student assessment surveys PIRLS and PISA show significantly reduced competence-acquisition in children with immigrant backgrounds (Mullis, Martin & Gonzales, 2004; OECD, 2010). However, they also demonstrate heightened motivation in this subgroup of students (e.g., Stanat & Christensen, 2006). The objective of the present study was to examine similarities and disparities in various dimensions of academic motivation and to clarify the role of selected determinants. The following research questions were addressed:
1) Does the level of academic motivation differ between students with and without immigrant backgrounds?
2) Can differences in parental autonomy-support and control explain disparities in academic motivation between students with and without immigrant backgrounds?

Theoretical Background
Group differences in maladaptive rather than (typically investigated) adaptive motivational dimensions could serve as a possible explanation for the paradox of combined comparatively high motivation and low competence in students with immigrant backgrounds. The Motivation and Engagement Wheel developed by Martin (2007) takes into account multiple dimensions of academic motivation – (Ia) adaptive cognitive (self-efficacy, valuing of school, mastery orientation) and (Ib) behavioral dimensions (persistence, planning, study management) as well as (IIa) maladaptive cognitive (anxiety, failure avoidance, uncertain control), and (IIb) behavioral dimensions (self-handicapping, disengagement). Concerning determinants of motivation the self-determination theory of motivation suggests that autonomy and control play an important role. It is assumed that autonomy-support has a positive effect on motivation while control has a negative effect (Ryan & Deci, 2000).

Methods
We assessed academic motivation with the 11 subscales of the Motivation and Engagement Scale (Martin, 2010). Parental autonomy-support and control were assessed with three items each on a four-point Likert scale. Reliability coefficients were acceptable.

Data
Our analyses are based on data of the Panel Study at the Research School, Education and Capabilities’ in North Rhine-Westphalia (PARS) (2009-2011). Data from about 800 students from grade 6, tested in 2010, were included in the analyses. 22.4% of the students have an immigrant background (incongruence between school and family language and at least one foreign-born parent).

Results
To answer research question 1 t-tests and effect-sizes were calculated. No significant differences in adaptive cognitive dimensions were found. However, students with immigrant backgrounds scored significantly higher than their peers without immigrant backgrounds on planning (d = 0.2), anxiety (d = 0.5), failure avoidance (d = 0.4), uncertain control (d = 0.3), self-handicapping (d = 0.3), and disengagement (d = 0.3). To answer research question 2 a structural equation model was specified in Mplus. The results confirm that immigrant background positively predicts planning, and all maladaptive cognitive and behavioral dimensions. The successive introduction of parental autonomy-support and control into the model confirmed that both factors were significant determinants of academic motivation. Nevertheless, immigrant background remained a significant predictor of academic motivation.

Significance of the study
The findings demonstrate the complexity of academic motivation and highlight the importance of taking into account maladaptive motivational dimensions when dealing with diverse student populations. Differences in academic motivation between students with and without immigrant backgrounds cannot be explained by disparities in parental autonomy-support and control.

Authors

• Rebecca Miriam Hartmann, Technical University of Dortmund

• Nele McElvany, TU Dortmund University

• Miriam Marleen Gebauer, Technical University of Dortmund