DOMINANT PREDICTORS OF INTRINSIC AND EXTRINSIC MOTIVATION: AN EMPIRICAL STUDY AT THE SENIOR SECONDARY LEVEL

Motivation plays a significant role in helping students develop proficiency in concepts and achievement of higher grades in various subjects at the senior secondary level. Today most of the subjects necessarily require analytical thinking, empathetic judgement, conceptual clarity, and real-world application. One need to imbibe learning internally which not only depends on intellectual ability, teaching methods, parental support, but also the type and level of motivation a student possesses. Among the different motivational factors—such as external rewards, examination pressure, parental expectations, grasp over concepts, teacher influence, and classroom climate—this study focuses on identifying the most significant factor influencing higher learning. On the basis of theoretical perspectives and previous research findings, the study focusses on the most dominant factor of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation that influences higher learning. Among these factors are: students’ aptitude, interest, curiosity, and personal enjoyment of ideas, career aspirations, achieved grades as the most powerful determinant of meaningful learning at the secondary level. It also examines how intrinsically motivated students differ from extrinsically motivated students in terms of attention, participation, depth of understanding, and academic performance in at the plus two levels. Intrinsic motivation encourages learners to relate abstract concepts and also promotes active participation in class discussions, independent awareness of recent happenings and voluntary problemsolving beyond the minimum examination requirements. Motivated learners show better conceptual clarity, higher-order thinking, and greater ability to analyse and interpret data, graphs, and case studies. But the main objective is to find out the factor that makes the maximum impact on the motivation of learners.