Explaining the Psychological Mechanisms Underlying the Formation of Academic Amotivation among Students: A Grounded Theory Study
Keywords:
Academic amotivation, Grounded theory, Student motivation, Perceived competence, School belonging, TehranAbstract
This study aimed to explain the psychological mechanisms underlying the formation of academic amotivation among students in Tehran using a grounded theory approach. This qualitative study was conducted using a grounded theory design. The participants were 24 lower- and upper-secondary school students from Tehran, Iran, selected through purposive and then theoretical sampling. Data were collected exclusively through semi-structured interviews. Sampling continued until theoretical saturation was achieved; saturation emerged at the twenty-first interview, and three additional interviews were conducted to confirm and refine the categories. All interviews were conducted after obtaining informed consent, audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using NVivo software. Data analysis followed the procedures of open, axial, and selective coding. Credibility was enhanced through member checking, peer review, prolonged engagement with the data, and the use of maximum variation in participant selection. The analysis led to the identification of five major categories: erosion of perceived academic competence, meaninglessness of learning and reduced task value, experience of control and weakened agency, negative emotions and protective avoidance, and weak school belonging and social support. The core category was “gradual extinction of the intention to learn,” indicating that academic amotivation is not a sudden or isolated condition, but rather a process shaped by the continuous interaction of repeated academic failure, external pressure, perceived incompetence, lack of relevance between school content and real life, and insufficient emotional support from teachers, parents, and peers. The findings suggest that academic amotivation should be understood as a multidimensional, process-oriented, and context-dependent phenomenon. Effective interventions should simultaneously address students’ perceived competence, the perceived meaning and value of learning, autonomy-supportive educational practices, negative achievement emotions, and the quality of relational support within school and family contexts.
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