Relationships with teachers and achievement motivation in the context of the transition to secondary school

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Reference

Chouinard R, Roy N, Archambault I, Smith J. (2017). Relationships with teachers and achievement motivation in the context of the transition to secondary school. Interdisciplinary Education and Psychology. 2(1): 1-15.

Abstract

The present study examined the link between students’ relationships with teachers and achievement motivation in the context of the transition to secondary school. Participants were 323 French-speaking students from various public schools of the Province of Quebec (Canada). A self-reported questionnaire measuring students’ appreciation of their relationships with teachers as well as their competence beliefs, utility value, interest, and achievement goals (mastery, performance-approach and work-avoidance) was administered to participants immediately before and after their transition to secondary school. Growth curve analyses indicate that, following the transition to secondary school, participants experienced a decline of achievement motivation. Results further show that students’ achievement motivation co-varied with their relationships with teachers, before and after the transition to secondary school. For instance, students’ who improved their relationships with teachers following this transition also reported a lower motivational decrease. These results highlight the need for schools to emphasize students’ relationships with their teachers in order to facilitate the transition to secondary school.

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