The Relationship Between Motivation and Online Performance Isn’t Zero, But It Might as Well Be (Poster 7)

• In Event: Saturday Poster Session 1:15 pm
  In Poster Session: Online Teaching and Learning SIG Poster Session

Abstract

We conducted a meta-analysis to examine the relationship between student motivation (attributional style, self-efficacy, goal orientation, and intrinsic/extrinsic motivation) and academic performance in online and blended courses. The overall relationship was small and highly variable. Although the relationship was slightly higher in blended than online courses, the amount of variance in performance accounted for by motivation in both modalities was small. Two meta-regression models revealed that none of the selected motivational variables were significant predictors of student performance. Our findings call into question the assumption that student motivation is the primary driver of academic success in online and blended courses, which has cascading implications for related work in the field.

Authors

• Andrew Walker, Utah State University

• Raechel N. Soicher, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

• Naomi R. Aguiar, Oregon State University

• Yu-Chun Kuo, Rowan University

• Jess Resig, Applied Research Institute