TY - JOUR
T1 - Academic Motivation, Life Exploration, and Psychological Well-being among Emerging Adults in Denmark
AU - Ozer, Simon
AU - Schwartz, Seth J.
PY - 2020
Y1 - 2020
N2 - Student life has been characterized both as challenging and as facilitative of future success. During the college years, emerging adults develop vocational competencies at the same time as they develop their sense of themselves and of their involvement in the world. In the current study, we examined the interplay among academic motivation, features of emerging adulthood, and psychological adaptation in relation to life satisfaction, psychological well-being, and perceived stress among Danish university students (N = 377). Results indicated direct and positive associations of autonomous motivation with life satisfaction, as well as a direct negative link between controlled motivation and psychological well-being. Furthermore, autonomous motivation was indirectly and positively associated with life satisfaction and psychological well-being, and negatively related to perceived stress, through experiences of life possibilities and experimentation. Controlled motivation was indirectly and positively associated with perceived stress through identity exploration. Our results underscore the importance of considering not only vocational competencies, but also personal interests and motivation, when designing educational curricula.
AB - Student life has been characterized both as challenging and as facilitative of future success. During the college years, emerging adults develop vocational competencies at the same time as they develop their sense of themselves and of their involvement in the world. In the current study, we examined the interplay among academic motivation, features of emerging adulthood, and psychological adaptation in relation to life satisfaction, psychological well-being, and perceived stress among Danish university students (N = 377). Results indicated direct and positive associations of autonomous motivation with life satisfaction, as well as a direct negative link between controlled motivation and psychological well-being. Furthermore, autonomous motivation was indirectly and positively associated with life satisfaction and psychological well-being, and negatively related to perceived stress, through experiences of life possibilities and experimentation. Controlled motivation was indirectly and positively associated with perceived stress through identity exploration. Our results underscore the importance of considering not only vocational competencies, but also personal interests and motivation, when designing educational curricula.
KW - Denmark
KW - academic motivation
KW - autonomous motivation
KW - controlled motivation
KW - emerging adulthood
U2 - 10.1080/19012276.2019.1675088
DO - 10.1080/19012276.2019.1675088
M3 - Journal article
SN - 1904-0016
VL - 72
SP - 199
EP - 221
JO - Nordic Psychology
JF - Nordic Psychology
IS - 3
ER -