Academic Motivation of Master Students Studying Pedagogical Science: Case of KFU

Abstract

The relevance of the study is due to the contradiction between the objective need for developing the academic motivation of Master students by means of research-oriented education and the insufficient development of the corresponding didactic conditions. The purpose of this paper is to identify the research-based learning potential in the development of Master students academic motivation and reasoning the didactic conditions promoting its effective implementation. In order to achieve it, the following tasks were solved: to reveal the essence of academic motivation and its features among Master’s students studying “Pedagogical science”; to promote theoretically and experimentally the didactic conditions for the effective implementation of the motivational potential of research-oriented learning. To identify the features of academic motivation, the methodology “Scale of Academic Motivation” was used.Research results: the essence of academic motivation as a set of motives that are the reason for the conscious inclusion of a student in educational activities is revealed; the features of the academic motivation of Master students studying Pedagogical science were revealed (the conscious choice of the program of training by the vast majority of students; different students’ background – previous education, work experience, age, that determines the polymotivation of educational activity with the dominance of internal motivation). It is shown that the motivational potential of researchoriented teaching of students is associated with its main characteristics: the purpose, content, nature of studying and research activities, features of results evaluation. Didactic conditions were experimentally promoted that enhance the motivational potential of research-oriented learning (taking into account the characteristics and levels of development of the corresponding types of students’ motivation; creating real opportunities for free choice of research topics for Master students; using work in pairs as a form of organizing educational and research activities; using a complex of stimulating methods for evaluating the study results). Perspective paths for study of the students’ academic motivation are indicated.

Keywords

• academic motivation
• features of master students’ academic motivation
• pedagogical education
• research-oriented learning
• didactic conditions