The relationship between learning motivation and academic achievement among second year physics students

The aim of the research study was to determine the relationship between learning motivation and academic achievement among 2nd year physics students at the University of the Free State. The population consisted of 2nd year students studying physics at the Bloemfontein Campus of the University of the Free State. The sample consisted of 55 2nd year students who were enrolled for various BSc degree programmes but had a physics module either as a major or as an elective. Probability sampling in the form of simple random sampling was used to select respondents. Relevant literature indicated that learning motivation is related to students’ academic achievement but very few has determined how learning motivation may influence the academic achievement of students in a particular subject such as physics. The data on student learning motivation was collected using a standardized questionnaire, namely the students' motivation towards physics learning (SMTPL) questionnaire. The students’ first year final examination marks in physics were used to determine the academic achievement of students. The empirical investigation established that learning motivation has no influence on the academic achievement of 2nd year physics students. The study however showed that self-efficacy may be the best construct of learning motivation to predict students’ academic achievement.