Amotivation as a Predictor of Academic Achievement: A Comparative Study of Science and Art Students' GPA

Abstract

Intrinsic motivation is characterized by engaging in activities for their inherent satisfaction, whereas amotivation is marked by a lack of intention to act, stemming from beliefs of ineffectiveness or disinterest in the activity. Prior research has established a positive correlation between intrinsic motivation and academic performance among science students; however, its applicability to arts students remains unexplored. The present study aims to examine the hypothesis that motivation, in its various forms, correlates with the Grade Point Average (GPA) among both science and arts undergraduates.

A convenience sampling strategy yielded 230 science students (GPA range: 1.8 – 3.89) and 284 arts students (GPA range: 1.5 – 3.84), who participated in a structured questionnaire interview. This instrument assessed intrinsic motivation, amotivation, and study effort using a 5-point Likert scale (ranging from 1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree). Average scores were computed and contrasted between the bottom and top quintiles of GPA within each discipline.

The findings revealed a universally high level of study effort across participants. Notably, students within the top 20% GPA bracket reported significantly greater academic effort than their lower 20% counterparts. A distinct pattern of significant amotivation was observed among science students with lower GPAs. Conversely, arts students with lower GPAs exhibited high levels of intrinsic motivation, akin to those observed in students with higher GPAs.