Varför individer väljer att påbörja studier på högre nivå : En kvantitativ studie av inre och yttre motivationsfaktorer

Motivation beskrivs som ett tillstånd som förklarar vilken benägenhet individen har att handla i en specifik situation. För att en individ ska ta ett beslut att studera på universitet eller högskola krävs det att denne är motiverad att göra detta. Motivation kan delas in i typerna, inre och yttre motivation. En ytterligare indelning kan göras i sex motivationsfaktorer; to know, toward accomplishment, to experience stimulation samt identified, introjected och external regulation. Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka vilka motivationsfaktorer som påverkar en individs val att studera på universitetet, och om motivationsfaktorerna i sin tur påverkar prestationen. Även eventuella skillnader mellan könen och mellan filosofisk och teknisk fakultet undersöktes. Data samlades in via en webbenkät, baserad på Academic Motivation Scale (Vallerand et al., 1992), där deltagarna fick skatta till vilken grad de ansåg sig ha motiverats av respektive påstående, i sitt val att studera. Resultatet visade att yttre motivationsfaktorer hade störst påverkan på valet att studera, där introjected regulation var den mest betydande motivationsfaktorn. För motivationsfaktorer och prestation noterades inget samband, förutom för faktorn to know. Ingen interaktion noterades mellan motivation och biologiskt kön eller fakultet. Kvinnor var dock mer motiverade än männen.Motivation is described as a state that explains the propensity of the individual to act in a specific situation. In order for an individual to make a decision to study at university, he or she must be motivated to do so. Motivation can be divided into two types, internal and external motivation. An additional division can be made into six motivational factors; to know, towards achievement, to experience stimulation, identified, introjected and external regulation. The purpose of this study was to investigate wich motivational factors that influence an individual's choice to study at the university, and if this in turn affects performance. Possible differences between the sexes and between the Faculty of Philosophy and Engineering were also investigated. Data was collected via a web-based survey based on the Academic Motivation Scale (Vallerand et al.,1992), where the participants were asked to estimate to what extent they considered themselves motivated by each claim, in their choice to study. The result showed that external motivational factors had the greatest impact on the decision to study, where introjected regulation was the most significant motivational factor. For motivational factors and performance no relation was noted, except for the factor to know. No interaction was noted between motivation and biological gender or the faculties. However, women were more motivated than men