An investigation of gender and age differences in academic motivation and classroom behaviour in adolescents. Issue 7 (8th August 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Bugler, Myfanwy; McGeown, Sarah; St Clair-Thompson, Helen
• Is Part Of: Educational psychology. Volume 36:Issue 7(2016)
• Page Start: 1196
• Page End: 1218
• Publication Date: 2016-08-08
• Subjects: adolescents -- gender -- age -- motivation -- behaviour; Educational psychology -- Periodicals; 370.15
• DOI: 10.1080/01443410.2015.1035697
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0144-3410

Abstract

Abstract : This study investigated gender- and age-related differences in academic motivation and classroom behaviour in adolescents. Eight hundred and fifty-five students (415 girls and 440 boys) aged 11–16 ( M age = 13.96, SD = 1.47) filled in a questionnaire that examined student academic motivation and teachers completed a questionnaire reporting student classroom behaviour. Interestingly, early adolescent boys' (11–12 years) self-reported academic motivation was significantly more closely associated with reports of student classroom behaviour completed by teachers. However, a surprising result was the significant drop in girls' adaptive motivation from early to mid-adolescence (13–14 years) and a significant increase in mid-adolescence (13–14 years). Furthermore, teachers reported a significant increase in negative classroom behaviour in mid-adolescent and late adolescent girls (15–16 years). The need to further understand the association between academic motivation and classroom behaviour at different stages in adolescence, and to design interventions to improve classroom behaviour, is deliberated.