Trajectories from academic intrinsic motivation to need for cognition and educational attainment

ABSTRACT

This long-term longitudinal study addressed the theoretical underpinning of academic intrinsic motivation (AIM) from childhood through adolescence, to need for cognition (NFC) and educational attainment (EA) during adulthood. AIM was measured from 9 to 17 years old, NFC and EA at 29 years old, and IQ at 8 years old. Latent change and growth mixture modeling were utilized. These models complemented each other, revealing that initial motivational status significantly related to both outcomes. Growth mixture modeling elaborated the findings by identifying distinctive subgroups in initial status and developmental change. In contrast to children with initially higher AIM, those starting lower declined resulting in lower NFC and EA. IQ was controlled in these analyses. Findings enhance understanding of trajectories across two decades of development, indicating that students’ early motivation relates to adulthood NFC and EA. Implications for educational practices are discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• Academic intrinsic motivation
• educational attainment
• longitudinal trajectories
• need for cognition

Acknowledgments

Gratitude is extended to the participants and families of the Fullerton Longitudinal Study, and to Anthony Rodriguez, Erin Arruda, Alma Boutin-Martinez, Amy Ho, Daphna Ozery, and Bri Vaughan for their research assistance.

Funding

Portions of this research were supported by grants from the Spencer Foundation, Thrasher Research Fund, California State University (Fullerton and Northridge), and the Kravis Leadership Institute.