• Pablo Usán, Carlos Salavera, and Pilar Teruel.
• Deparment of Psychology and Sociology, University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain.
• Psychol Res Behav Manag. 2019 Jan 1; 12: 877-887.

BackgroundIn the students' school stage can appear many psychological variables that can positively or negatively affect the academic life of the students as well as their learning process. Therefore, the present study aims to explore the relation between school motivation, goal orientation and academic performance in adolescent students.MethodsThis cross-sectional study was performed on adolescent students (N=3512) from 18 public Secondary Education (ESO) centers. The Scale of School Motivation (EME-S), the Perception of Success Questionnaire (POSQ) and academic performance, quantified by each student's mean mark, were instruments used.ResultsThe results revealed significant relations among, on the one hand, intrinsic school motivations, task-oriented goal orientations and academic performance in a more adaptive pattern behavior and, on the other hand, relations between extrinsic motivations and ego-oriented goal orientations. The influence of intrinsic motivations, task-oriented goal orientations and low amotivation indices on predicting academic performance was deduced.ConclusionThe importance of promoting adaptive behaviors that improve adolescent students' academic lives focus on adequate levels of school motivation and task-oriented goal orientations at their education centers was revealed.© 2019 Usán et al.

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