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Why do I study? The moderating effect of attachment style on academic motivation
Jonathan S Gore1, Mary Jill Rogers
1Department of Psychology, Eastern Kentucky University, Richmond 40475, USA. Jonathan.Gore@EKU.EDU
The Journal of Social Psychology
|November 10, 2010
Summary
Attachment style influences academic success. Secure individuals benefit from studying for relationships, while avoidant individuals thrive when studying for personal reasons, impacting academic outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Social Psychology
- Educational Psychology
Background:
- Previous research highlights the significance of considering close others' interests in goal pursuit.
- However, potential moderators of this effect, particularly in academic contexts, remain underexplored.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how attachment style moderates the relationship between reasons for studying and academic outcomes.
- To examine the differential impact of relational versus personal study motives across attachment styles.
Main Methods:
- Two studies were conducted involving a total of 314 university students.
- Participants completed measures of attachment style (secure, avoidant), reasons for studying, study habits, GPA, and academic well-being.
Main Results:
- Study 1: The association between relational study reasons and study habits was positive for secure individuals and negative for avoidant individuals.
- Study 2: Relational study reasons positively predicted GPA for secure individuals.
- Personal study reasons positively predicted academic well-being for avoidant individuals.
Conclusions:
- Attachment style significantly moderates the association between goal motives and academic outcomes.
- Understanding individual differences, such as attachment, is crucial for optimizing academic motivation and performance.
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