ACADEMIC MOTIVATION AMONG SELECTED UNIVERSITY UNDERGRADUATES IN OGUN STATE:

Abstract

ABSTRACT For effective learning to take place, students must be academically motivated. Academic motivation (AM) is the drive that propels students to engage in academic tasks with the aim of being successful. While rich literature exist on the subject of academic motivation of Nigerian undergraduates, there is a dearth of studies on the interactions between academic motivation, family communication pattern and perceived parental support. This study therefore investigated how perceived parental support and family communication patterns predict academic motivation among Nigerian undergraduates. The quantitative research design was deployed for the study. A multi-stage sampling technique was used to select 395 students (mean age: 19.68 ± 2.41) from the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Ogun State. The Academic Motivation Scale, Perception of Parents Scale, and Family Communication Patterns Scale were used to for data collection. Data was analyzed using linear regression, multiple regression, and independent sample t-test. The results indicated that family communication patterns predict academic motivation [F=132.06, p <.01] with a variance of 25% of the total variance observed in academic motivation; perceived parental support predicts academic motivation [F=260.83, p<0.01] with a variance of 40% of the total variance observed in academic motivation, while the joint contribution of family communication patterns and perceived parental support predicts academic motivation [F=147.21, p<0.05] with a variance of 43% of the total variance observed in academic motivation. Gender significantly influenced AM [t = -7.58, p <.01], with female students reporting higher academic motivation than male students. Age did not significantly predict AM. The study recommends parents fostering a positive communication climate in the home, and collaboration with schools to create programs that increase parental involvement in their children’s academic lives.