Student Motivation in Learning Mathematics in Technical and Vocational Higher Education: Development of an Instrument

Abstract

Mathematics is a challenging subject for most students in technical and vocational institutions. The institutions apply great effort towards developing mathematics knowledge and skills, mainly by influencing students' motivations. This study tries: (1) to present evidence for the validity of an instrument for measuring students' motivational beliefs as their beliefs, self-efficacy, and intrinsic-extrinsic goal orientations regarding mathematics; (2) to explore the relationship between institutional context and the instrument’s scores as students’ motivational beliefs. The data collected from 1,239 students from two different Chilean institutions were analyzed. The psychometric analysis provided evidence of the reliability and validity of the instrument. The instrument suggests differences in the level of motivational beliefs associated with students' age and the type of institutions. The instrument allows educators to study the relationships between motivational beliefs and the institutional context of technical and vocational schools. It can also be used for the prediction of student success in their mathematics course by the understanding of their motivational beliefs towards mathematics.