Analysis of the current situation of college students' achievement motivation and influencing factors-an empirical analysis based on a college in Shandong Province.
Level 4 - case-series / case-control
Single-center cross-sectional survey
PubMed 41488939 · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1636209
What was done
A cross-sectional survey was administered to 2,849 college students at a single university in Shandong Province, China. Achievement motivation was assessed using the Achievement Motivation Scale (measuring motivation to achieve versus motivation to avoid failure). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, single-factor analyses, and multiple linear regression.
What was found
The average achievement motivation score was 4.38 ± 12.99. Single-factor analysis identified significant differences (p < 0.05) by gender, parental literacy level, personal health, parental health, family annual income, future goals, and short-term plans. In multiple linear regression adjusting for confounding variables, family income and parental literacy were no longer statistically significant, while gender, personal health condition, and short-term plans remained significant predictors.
Why it matters
The findings suggest that proximal individual factors such as short-term planning and personal health may relate more strongly to student achievement motivation than distal family socioeconomic factors.
Limits
The study is cross-sectional and cannot demonstrate causality. Participants were recruited from only one university in Shandong Province, limiting generalizability. Specific effect sizes, regression coefficients, and exact p-values for individual multivariable predictors were not reported in the abstract.