Motivational Factors Influencing Learners’ Academic Success in an Australian Enabling Education Setting

Abstract

The main objective of this study is to identify and discuss the motivational factors that significantly influence learners' academic success in an Australian enabling education setting. The logistic regression technique has been employed to identify the motivational factors using data collected through online surveys with 331 learners enrolled in Foundation Studies and Diploma programs at a South Australian university. Empirical results showed that there are some dominant motivational factors that can be used to predict how and why they are important in influencing learners’ academic success in these programs. The motivational factors that were found to significantly influence learners’ academic success include the time available to study, work status, living with a disability, and childcare arrangements. Individual study habits and interest in the materials were also found to be significant. Additionally, several other motivational factors were found to not significantly influence learners’ academic success within the same environment. Overall, these results showed that learners with higher intrinsic motivation drivers are more likely to succeed in enabling education. Therefore, appropriate teaching and learning approaches and environments, including diversified supports and mechanisms that can assist students to encourage motivation, are vital for learners to succeed in enabling programs.