Evaluation of Academic Motivation and Related Factors in Laboratory Science Students of East Universities of Medical Sciences

Background & Objective: Motivation is a basic factor for learning which can affect various behavioral aspects of students in educational environments. This study aimed to explore the academic motivation of laboratory science students in the universities of medical sciences in the East of Iran in 2017. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional, descriptive, and analytical study was performed on 334 laboratory science students. Data were collected using an academic motivation scale and a researcher-made questionnaire for factors related to motivation. In addition, data analysis was performed in SPSS using descriptive and analytical statistics, t-test, one-way ANOVA, and Chi-square. Results: In this study, the mean age of the participants was 20.53±1.57 years, and the mean academic motivation of students was 124.04±18.75 (from a total score of 196). According to the results, there was a significant relationship between academic motivation and the related factors of welfare, education, and future career with the variables of age, gender, and university of study (P≤0.05). Moreover, there was a significant relationship between the intrinsic and extrinsic dimensions of motivation (P≤0.05). Conclusion: According to the results of the study, the factors of welfare, education, and future career affected the academic motivation of laboratory science students. Therefore, it is suggested that more attention be paid to these factors by the authorities to eliminate barriers to the development of students’ motivation.