Undergraduate students’ motivation for attending university and the role of demographic factors in influencing motivation
Abstract
Previous studies on motivation of higher education students have predominantly focused on
the role of motivation in academic achievement. The aim of this study was to identify what
motivates students to attend university and to establish the connection of this motivational
orientation to demographic correlates. A correlational research design was employed and data
was analysed by means of the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Correlational
analysis (Pearson’s correlation coefficient (r)) was used to determine the strength of the
association between demographic factors and student motivations for attending university.