Predictive Abilities of Curiosity, Creativity, and Motivation on Academic Performance of High School Students in Ghana

Abstract

The study looked at how learners innate possessions (motivation, curiosity, curiosity) affect their performance (science and mathematics). A total of 568 high school students were surveyed through a quantitative-correlational research design. Data for the study were gathered using an adapted curiosity measure, an adapted creativity measure, an adapted motivation measure, and an expert-developed academic performance measure. Multiple multivariate was used to test the hypothesis. The study revealed that students’ motivated behaviors, curious abilities, creative potentials jointly explained 15.5% change or variance in science score and 33.1% change or variance in mathematics score. In this sense, it is evident that students’ who become curious, creative, and motivated in their learning situation could improve upon their academic performance and achieve their academic goals. Therefore, school managers of high schools should call for intersubject workshops, as it is evident that science and mathematics are related. Furthermore, the Ghana Education Service should revise the way and manner in which it organizes professional development programs for practitioners in order to make them cross-curricular.