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.