Clustering of Medical Students with Various Modes of Motivational Beliefs and Directional Progression in terms of Academic Achievement: Individualized Analysis

The purpose of this study was to cluster students with profiles of motivational beliefs and orient the goal of high and low achievement in terms of academic performance.

The research method of this study was correlational and part of clustering schemes. The statistical population was all incoming students of Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences in the academic year of 1397-98 who were selected by stratified relative sampling method. Data were used through standard motivational strategies questionnaires for Pintrich and Digrott learning, Elliott and McGregor achievement goal orientation, and self-reported student average scores (semester grade point average) to assess academic performance. Data analysis was performed using SPSS software and descriptive statistics and inferential statistics. Cluster analysis, diagnostic function analysis and t-test were used for independent groups.

Based on the research results, two clusters were identified for students. The first cluster, with motivational beliefs and high achievement goal orientation, was called high motivation-orientation cluster and the second cluster with motivational beliefs and low progress goal orientation was called low motivation-avoidance cluster. Then, to confirm the clustering, the analysis of the diagnostic function was performed, which showed that the clustering was confirmed. The t-test with a significance level of 0.01 showed that there is a significant difference between the two clusters in terms of academic performance.

It can be concluded that motivational beliefs and high achievement goal orientation are important factors in increasing studentschr('39') academic performance.