Psychosocial and Clinical Determinants of Achievement Motivation in University Students: The Protective Role of Resilience and Metacognitive Awareness

Abstract

This research was designed to analyze the effect of resilience, depression, behavioural vs. emotional engagement and metacognitive awareness on the achievement motivation of university students. Past research has highlighted the predictive role of cognitive and mental capabilities on the academic achievement of students. A correlational research design was used for the study and 425 participants were selected through purposive sampling and had an almost similar gender distribution. Data collection was done through the Hamilton Depression Inventory, Metacognitive Awareness Scale, Brief Resilience Scale, Engagement Vs. Disaffection with Learning Questionnaire and achievement motivation scale. The results showed that female students exhibited higher scores on resilience, metacognitive awareness, behavioural and emotional engagement, and high orientation towards success and achievement in comparison to their male counterparts who scored high on depression and further showed poorer scores on resilience, metacognitive awareness, and behavioural and emotional engagement.