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The Academic Motivation of At-Risk Students in a Counseling Prevention Program
Michael John Scheel*,
Soumya Madabhushi,
and
Autumn Backhaus
University of Nebraska, Lincoln
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: mscheel2{at}unl.edu.
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Abstract |
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School dropout is a problem that has distressing personal and societal consequences. Not surprising, students who drop out are typically not academically motivated. This phenomenological study examined the meanings that students construct about academic motivation while participating in a dropout prevention program that primarily uses counseling. Twenty interviews were conducted and transcribed. Six themes emerged from 172 significant statements and corresponding meaning units: self-efficacy, purpose of school, family influences, relationships at school, counselor influence, and school structures and activities. Findings revealed the essence of academic motivation—namely, the importance of relationships in nurturing such motivation. Implications highlight caring relationships as a key factor, fostered through dropout prevention programs that use counseling. additional implications include the use of career interventions to construct future orientations, the influence of family, and the need for assistance to gain academic self-efficacy.
First published on June 29, 2009, doi:10.1177/0011000009338495
The Counseling Psychologist 2009;37:1147.
A more recent version of this article appeared on November 1, 2009
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