ACADEMIC MOTIVATION OF UNDERGRADUATES: A LITERATURE REVIEW

Abstract

This article aims to review the studies on undergraduates’ academic motivation through analysis, synthesis and generalization of 36 publications around the world (28 publications) and in Vietnam (8 publications). The results of the analysis show that there are 06 research approaches to undergraduates' learning motivation: (1) fundamental theories, (2) current state and expression, (3) classification, (4) measurement, (5) impacting factors, (6) prevention, intervention and enhancement. Based on the overall results, the article also proposes a number of future research directions on university students’ academic motivation: (1) the direction of integrating diverse theories, (2) a continuum comprising a motivation, academic extrinsic motivation and academic intrinsic motivation, (3) the change and conversion between types of students’ academic motivation on the continuum, (4) groups of students with different ages, in different majors; (5) consideration of the undergraduates’ subjective factors (autonomy, positivity, self-understanding, and resilience), cultural factors of school, family, community, ethnicity; economic, political factors and so on having an impact on student’s academic motivation; (6) preventive measures and evidence-based interventions for undergraduates’ academic motivation.