Relationship between Academic Motivation and Academic Achievement of Dental Students of Kerman University of Medical Sciences

Despite their ascribed intellectual ability and significant academic achievements, dental students’ academic performance is influenced by their academic motivation. This study examined the role of academic motivation in academic achievements of dental students in Kerman University of Medical Sciences. In this cross-sectional study, 172 dental students, from the 3rd to the final year, at School of Dentistry, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, completed the Inventory of School Motivation (ISM), comprising of 37 items and measuring 8 aspects of motivation. The gold standard for academic achievement was their overall average grades and their scores on basic sciences examination. Data were analyzed with SPSS 13.5, using ANOVA, Pearson’s correlation coefficient and chi-squared test at a significance level of p value < 0.05. Academic motivation had a significant and direct relationship with scores on basic sciences examination (p value = 0.03) and the overall mean grades (p value = 0.04). Areas of competition, effort and social responsibility had a positive correlation with higher average grades and scores on basic sciences examination. Competition motivation in male students was higher than that in female student. The results showed that students' academic achievement depends on their motivation.