Motivational Orientation and Performance in Science: A Study on University Students in Bangladesh

Abstract

This study investigated the university students’ motivation and performance in integrated science. A sample of 1316 students from public and private universities in Bangladesh participated in the study. Of the sample, 619 were male students and 697 were female students, and their average age was 21.4 years. The motivation instrument used was the science motivation questionnaire, which consisted of 30 items. Results show that this group of students displayed a high level of intrinsic motivation, personal relevance, self-determination, extrinsic motivation, and self-efficacy and a moderate level of test anxiety in learning science. The results also demonstrate significant differences in motivational orientations towards science concerning gender. Furthermore, correlation analyses show significant positive associations between students’ motivational orientations and science achievement.