An investigation of academic motivations of university students during covid-19 pandemic process

This study aims to investigate if students' perceived social support levels, positive future expectations and social emotional learning skills significantly predict their academic motivation (internal, extrinsic and amotivation) during the COVID-19 pandemic process, and to examine if their academic motivations differ according to gender and level of academic achievement. The study used correlational research design andincluded 805 university students, selected by using convenient sampling method in the 2020-2021 academic year. To collect data, Academic Motivation Scale (AMS), Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support-Revised Form (MCASD), Positive Future Expectation Scale (OGBÖ), Social Emotional Learning Scale –Young Adult Form (SDÖ-GF) and Personal Information Form were used. To investigate the predictive power of study variables on university students' academic motivation levelsand to examine if the academic motivation levels of the students differ across gender and levels of academic achievement, multiple linear regression, the t test and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were employed respectively. The findings showed that the relations of positive future expectations and SDO skills with intrinsic motivation were significant and positive, yet with amotivation levels were significant and negative. The relations of perceived social support with extrinsic motivation were significant and positive, yet with intrinsic motivation and amotivation were not significant. Students' academic motivation levels (intrinsic, extrinsic and amotivation) significantly differred according to gender and general academic grade point averages. The findings showed that students' perceived social support, positive future expectations and social emotional learning skills have a role on their academic motivation (intrinsic, extrinsic and amotivation).