Students Who Want to Contribute to Society Have Optimal Learning-Related Outcomes

One of education's primary goals is to cultivate citizens who want to contribute to society. However, surprisingly little research has been conducted on how students' desire to contribute to society is related to crucial learning-related outcomes. The aim of this study was to examine how t...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of experimental education 2024-07, Vol.92 (3), p.466-484
Main Authors: King, Ronnel B., Wang, Hui, McInerney, Dennis M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Achievement tests
Contribute to society
Deep learning
Education
Educational Research
Learning
mastery goal
Motivation
performance goal
Secondary school students
Secondary Schools
self-regulated learning
societal motivation
Society
Structural Equation Models
Student Motivation
Students
Time
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Summary:One of education's primary goals is to cultivate citizens who want to contribute to society. However, surprisingly little research has been conducted on how students' desire to contribute to society is related to crucial learning-related outcomes. The aim of this study was to examine how the desire to contribute to one's society, which we call societal motivation for shorthand, is associated with optimal learning-related outcomes such as self-regulated learning, deep learning, and achievement. The sample included 8,773 secondary school students from Hong Kong. The mean age of the students was 13.28 (SD = 1.09) years old. Students were asked to respond to self-reported surveys and answer achievement tests across two-time points, one year apart. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data. Results indicated that Time 1 societal motivation positively predicted Time 2 self-regulated learning and deep learning. These associations held despite controlling for auto-regressive effects and other relevant covariates such as Time 1 goals (mastery, performance, social, and extrinsic) and demographic variables. Our results showed that societal motivation is associated with optimal learning-related outcomes. This paper has theoretical implications for educational research by showing that societal motivation is an important yet neglected aspect of student motivation.
ISSN:0022-0973
1940-0683
DOI:10.1080/00220973.2022.2146039