STUDENT MOTIVATION AND ITS RELATIONSHIP WITH ENGAGEMENT AND ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT AMONG FULL TIME VIRTUAL SCHOOL STUDENTS

Abstract

Virtual school enrollments in the United States have been steadily increasing over the past 25 years. Yet, studies have routinely shown that the academic performance of full-time virtual school students is considerably below that of their brick-and-mortar peers. To understand these results, theoretical reasoning suggests that motivation may be an important factor as students may need to be highly self-motivated to engage with online learning programs effectively. However, very little empirical work has tested the relationship among student motivation, engagement with learning platforms, and outcomes among full-time K-12 virtual school students. The purpose of this study was to examine these relationships by analyzing administrative data and surveys given to 6-12 grade students (n=212) in a full-time virtual school in an urban school district. Results indicated no statistical association between measures of self-reported motivation and engagement with learning platforms. However, self-reported internalized motivation was associated with student outcomes (i.e., course completion and grades). This study contributes to a growing body of literature on full-time virtual school students’ motivation, achievement, and participation in online learning activities.