The relationship between the specifics of educational support for high school students and academic motivation in specialized education

Abstract

Academic motivation is one of the top priorities in efforts to improve educational quality. Considering the developmental goals of adolescence, the organization of specialized work with high school students — focusing on setting future goals and planning for their achievement — can serve as a factor in enhancing academic motivation. This article presents the interim results of a study involving students from specialized physics and mathematics classes in Krasnoyarsk and students from the physics and mathematics boarding school at Siberian Federal University (N=191). Data were collected using the Schoolchildren’s Academic Motivation Scale (T. O. Gordeeva, O. A. Sychev, et al.) and the Motivation Focus Scale in Making Mistakes (adapted by N V. Podbutskaya and A. E. Knysh). Statistical data processing was conducted using the nonparametric Mann-Whitney U test. The study design involved data collection and analysis through three waves (the beginning of 10th grade, the beginning, and the end of 11th grade). The data obtained at the intermediate stage indicate that in a school implementing individualized educational programs, where a key component is working with images of one’s own future, goal setting, planning methods to achieve goals, analyzing current activities, and making adjustments, conditions are created to enhance academic motivation and change attitudes and behavior toward making mistakes. In this context, mistakes are viewed as an integral part of life and become a subject of self-analysis. The differences identified in the study may indicate that students admitted to specialized boarding schools possess unique motivational characteristics, necessitating more thorough verification and serving as a basis for further research. The findings demonstrate that pedagogical support for students’ individualized educational programs has a positive impact on the development of their cognitive and motivational skills and fosters a productive attitude toward mistakes. The results underscore the need for further study of the characteristics of students who choose to study at specialized boarding schools.