Since the COVID-19 pandemic spread to the U.S. in 2020, college leaders and policymakers have raised questions about the academic preparation of today’s students. College readiness metrics in math and English have fallen nationally, and research shows that many students lack executive functioning skills as well as effective study habits.

Though they may be underprepared for college courses, most students say they’re motivated in college by grades or the pursuit of knowledge.

A 2024 survey from TimelyCare found that the greatest share of college students measure their success by their grade point average, followed by having increased knowledge or earning a credential. Similarly, a recent survey by Inside Higher Ed and Generation Lab found that 55 percent of students enroll in college to pursue a specific career or profession, while half say they enroll to gain knowledge or skills.

New research from the University of Georgia sought to understand the psychological and motivational factors impacting students’ academic outcomes. Looking at a group of engineering students, researchers found a correlation between their learning strategies and their course goals; Students who demonstrated interest in the course material were more likely to learn effectively, compared to students who appeared driven by social competition in the classroom.

The study: The research centered on the achievement goal theory, which says that individuals’ behaviors are determined by their definition of success and whether it’s relative to the task, themselves or others. Some students may also be motivated by avoidance—trying not to look incompetent or fail relative to the task, themselves or others.

Previous research found that students who are task- or self-motivated are more likely to engage in mastery behaviors, such as testing themselves on course materials until they understand. Students who are extrinsically motivated or avoidance-driven, however, are more likely to use surface learning practices, such as rote memorization, cramming or skimming course content.

The study included survey data from 249 engineering students in a major course at a large public research university in fall 2023.

The findings: Students who reported being task- or self-oriented were more likely to report higher end-of-term grades. “Task-focused students, in particular, appear to benefit from internalized goals emphasizing understanding and effort,” researchers wrote.

Students who want to get the credit and move on, especially in classes they don’t think are relevant to their major, tend to use more surface-level strategies, such as skimming material and cramming before tests.

Students who were extrinsically motivated did not have the same high academic outcomes, which researchers theorized is because they were more interested in outperforming their peers than in understanding the material.

But all students who engaged in deep learning strategies were more likely to succeed academically, which researchers said underscores the way study habits serve as a channel for reaching motivational goals and that goal orientation alone doesn’t equate to higher achievement.

Put in practice: Based on their findings, researchers encourage engineering instructors to emphasize mastery-based teaching and learning practices that promote task- or self-focused goals. Pedagogical approaches that meet these goals include inquiry-based learning, problem-solving tasks, formative feedback, project-based assignments and reflective journaling.

In addition, assessment methods can encourage deeper learning by moving away from tests that rely on memorization or are graded on a curve, because these methods can inadvertently encourage surface-level studying.

Professors should also consider interventions that de-emphasize performance-based competition or comparison in the classroom, because these factors can hinder the impact that deep learning strategies have on student learning.

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