Relations between Students’ Motivation and Perceptions of the Learning Environment - Research

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by jay

The research examines how university students’ motivation relates to their perceptions of the learning environment and identifies which environmental characteristics best predict motivational orientation and satisfaction with a course. A survey of 120 postgraduate students from the Faculty of Arts at the University of Ljubljana measures motivation using the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire and a researcher-created instrument for learning-environment evaluation. Findings show strong correlations among intrinsic goal orientation, self-efficacy, and control beliefs, while key predictors include perceived usefulness of topics, autonomy, and teacher support.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages24

Reading Time1 h 0 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Achievement goals and goal orientations

Learning environment influences

Study purpose and methods

Relations between Students’ Motivation, and Perceptions ofthe Learning Environment Marko Radovan*1 and Danijela Makovec2 • In this research, we have examined the characteristics of university students’ motivation and its connection with perceptions ofthe learning environment. Higher education teachers often find it challenging to decide how to organize their lectures and what instructional strategy they should use to be most effective. Therefore, we endeavoured to determine which characteristics of the learning environment best predict the motivational orientation of students and their satisfaction with the course. The survey included 120 postgraduate students of the Faculty of Arts at the University of Ljubljana. In order to measure their motivation, we employed several scales ofthe Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (Pintrich et al., 1991). For the purpose of this research, we created a new questionnaire for their evaluation of the learning environment. The results revealed a high correlation between the intrinsic goal orientation, self-efficacy, and control beliefs. The most important factors of the learning environment that are connected with the formation of intrinsic goal-orientation and the enjoyment of education are the perception of the usefulness of the studied topics, a feeling of autonomy, and teacher support. To an extent, these findings are supported by the findings of those authors who recommend using those methods of teaching that are in compliance with the student-centred understanding of teaching and learning. Keywords: Learning environment, Achievement Goal orientation, Course satisfaction, Higher education didactics, University students 1 *Corresponding Author. Faculty of Arts, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia; [marko.radovan@ff.uni-lj.si](marko.radovan@ff.uni-lj.si) 2 Teaching Assistant; Faculty of Arts, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia Povezave med motiviranostjo študentov in zaznavanjemučnega okolja Marko Radovan* in Danijela Makovec • V raziskavi smo analizirali značilnosti motivacije in njeno povezanostz zaznavanjem učnega okolja. Visokošolskim učiteljem pogosto izzivpredstavlja odločitev, kako organizirati svoja predavanja in katero strategijo poučevanja uporabiti. V članku smo si zato prizadevali ugotoviti, katere značilnosti učnega okolja najbolje napovedujejo motivacijsko usmerjenost študentov in njihovo zadovoljstvo. V raziskavo smo vključili 120 magistrskih študentov Filozofske fakultete Univerze v Ljubljani. Za merjenje motivacije smo uporabili več lestvic iz vprašalnika motivacijskih strategij (Pintrich et al., 1991), za vrednotenje učnega okolja pa zanamen te raziskave ustvarili nov vprašalnik. Rezultati so pokazali visoko korelacijo med notranjo ciljno usmerjenostjo, samoučinkovitostjo innadzornimi prepričanji. Najpomembnejši dejavniki učnega okolja, ki sopovezani z razvojem notranje ciljne usmerjenosti, so: koristnost obravnavanih tem, občutek samostojnosti in učiteljeva podpora. Te ugotovitve so podprte z ugotovitvami tistih avtorjev, ki priporočajo uporabona študenta osredinjenih metod poučevanja. Ključne besede: učno okolje, notranja ciljna usmerjenost, zadovoljstvoz izobraževanjem, visokošolska didaktika, visokošolski študentje Introduction In the previous two decades, the research conducted on achievement goals and achievement goal orientations has become highly prominent in the field of education (e.g. Ames, 1992; Dweck, 1986; Nicholls, 1984; Urdan, 2004) . Moreover, certain meta-analyses have shown that this field has become predominant in the research of motivation (Austin & Vancouver, 1996). In psychology, goals are understood as the subject, activity or phenomenon at which our action is directed and with which we satisfy our need (Locke & Latham, 1990), whilst achievement goal orientations are the individuals’ general approaches or schemes with which they undertake tasks and evaluate their achievements (Kaplan & Maehr, 2007; Pintrich & Schunk,

FAQs

What is the main research focus of this study?

The study investigates how university students’ motivation is connected with their perceptions of the learning environment, and which environmental features predict motivational orientation and course satisfaction.

How was motivation measured in the survey?

Motivation was assessed using multiple scales from the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire.

Which learning-environment factors are most strongly linked to intrinsic motivation in the results?

Intrinsic goal orientation and enjoyment of education are most related to perceived usefulness of studied topics, students’ sense of autonomy, and teacher support.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by jay