Investigating Differences in Academic Intrinsic, Extrinsic, and Amotivation Among Children of Immigrant Parents

Abstract

College students in the US often experience a pressure to succeed brought on by their unique intrinsic and extrinsic motivations. However, is there a possible connection between these academic motivations and having an immigrant parent? To determine if differences exist in intrinsic, extrinsic, and amotivation among children of immigrant parents (CIPs), I employed a 28-item survey adapted from the Academic Motivation Scale (AMS). I analyzed survey data collected from 183 undergraduate students at the University of Texas at Arlington using three chi-square tests of independence comparing the three types of motivation in CIPs and non-CIPs and a one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) assessing average scores across types of motivation. Results showed no relationship exists between types of academic motivation and CIP status, but extrinsic motivation scores were significantly higher across all college students. Future studies are needed to examine other factors that may influence academic motivations.