Examining the Relationships Among Motivational Factors and the Academic Achievement of Students Enrolled in a Comprehensive Agricultural Education Program

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to examine the input factors and outcomes within the student motivational profile (SMP) that may affect the self-determination of students who elected to enroll in an agricultural education career academy was conducted. This study introduces the organismic socio-behavioral perspective (OSBP), which was developed to inform educational interventions on student motivation and engagement from a more holistic perspective. Among the 114 urban high school student respondents, those who reported having a choice in the decision to enroll in the comprehensive agriculture program were more likely to have self-determined types of academic motivation, academic satisfaction, and higher levels of perceived effort. Limitations within the SMP to measure moderate to strong associations with academic achievement were identified and recommendations on how to address these limitations were discussed. The study is intended to introduce a line of inquiry toward developing an inventory that identifies measurable factors that impact student engagement and achievement.