Trajectories of self-determined motivation during the secondary school : a growth mixture analysis

Based on an accelerated longitudinal design involving three cohorts of secondary school students followed during three consecutive school years, this study has three main objectives. First, we seek to identify different profiles of students following distinct trajectories of self-determined motivation over the secondary school years. Second, we examine whether different sources of relatedness (father, mother, teachers, peers) predict membership into these motivational trajectory profiles. Third, we look at the consequences of these motivational trajectory profiles in terms of adaptive and maladaptive outcomes. Nine hundred forty-one students (56.1% girls) from three distinct cohorts participated in the first measurement time (309 students initially in Secondary 1, 346 students initially in Secondary 2, 272 students initially in Secondary 3). Results revealed that no generic decline in global levels of selfdetermined motivation was observed during the secondary school years. Five distinct trajectory profiles in which the proportion of students varied were identified. The many comparisons made between these five profiles indicate few significant differences on sources of relatedness. However, teachers and fathers were important positive predictors of membership into the profiles characterized by higher selfdetermined trajectories, in addition to having a direct effect on initial levels of self-determined motivation observed within each profile (teachers), and on within-profile increases over time in global levels of self-determined motivation (teachers and fathers). Finally, students in profiles characterized by low self-determined motivation trajectories showed lower levels of adaptive outcomes and higher levels of maladaptive outcomes. Educational Impact and Implications Statement of the Article. This study suggests that there are distinct subgroups of secondary students defined by how their motivation change over a five-year period. Although most students experience an increase in their motivation over five years, for some students their motivation remains stable and quite low. This last group of students experience low levels of adaptive outcomes (low grades and engagement), but high levels of maladaptive ones (high aggressive and risk behaviors). Moreover, students with high levels of motivation over the five-year period are those who perceive relationships that are more positive with their teachers and fathers. These results suggest that we need to determine ways of improving motivation by focusing on teachers and fathers’ relationship quality