Transition of academic motivation profiles and its relationship with academic outcomes, perceived parenting, and self-regulated emotion strategies

The purpose of this study was to examine changes in academic motivation profiles over time and their potential academic outcomes (i.e., academic persistence and procrastination) and contextual antecedents (i.e., perceived parenting style) as well as personal antecedents (i.e., self-regulated strategies) among Chinese adolescents. Latent profile and transition analysis of responses from 497 students illustrated four motivational profiles (Autonomous, Multimotivated, Controlled, and Poorly Motivated) and several divergent transition patterns across two time points (e.g., 64 % remaining in original profiles, 12.9 % experiencing adaptive change, and 14.3 % experiencing maladaptive change). Students remaining in the Autonomous profile and experiencing adaptive motivation change were more well-adjusted with higher academic persistence and lower academic procrastination; and perceived need-supportive parenting and the use of cognitive reappraisal strategy in emotion self-regulation could foster the adaptive development of motivation over time. The findings add to practical knowledge about the mechanism and outcomes of the development of student motivation and provide implications in future educational interventions.

Educational relevance statement

The current research identified the transitions of academic motivation profiles among adolescents over time and explored their potential outcomes and antecedents. Results revealed that (a) four motivational profiles—Autonomous, Multimotivated (accounting for the largest proportion of Chinese adolescents), Controlled, and Poorly Motivated—varied in their volatility and stability over time; (b) belonging to stable Autonomous profile and occurring adaptive change in motivational profile showed the highest academic persistence and the least procrastination; and (c) perceived supportive parenting style (autonomy support, warmth, and structure) and usage of cognitive reappraisal predicted students' staying in or shifting to a more adaptive motivational profile. The findings highlight the necessity of distinguishing students' motivational profiles and providing targeted intervention for them, and indicate the potential avenues to facilitate students' adaptive change in academic motivation. Teaching students how to adaptively regulate personal emotions may not only contribute to their social development, but also be conductive to protect them from the worsening of academic motivation and even boost the growth of autonomous motivation over time.