Longitudinal associations between academic motivation and school-related stressors in adolescents transitioning to secondary school

Changes in education and socialization during the transition to secondary school may increase school-related social stressors in the family and school context, which are thought to affect adolescents' academic motivation. Although adolescents’ academic motivation has been found to decline over time, the associations between changes in different types of academic motivation and school-related social stressors in the family and school context remain unclear. This study aimed to examine the associations between trajectories of academic motivation and school-related social stressors over the secondary school transition. This preregistered four-wave longitudinal study included 290 Dutch adolescents ( M age = 11.58, SD = .44 at T1; 49.3 % boys) who were followed over the transition from primary to secondary school. Five univariate Latent Growth Curve Models (LGM) and six bivariate growth models were estimated to test our hypotheses. Results showed that the level and change of parental academic pressure were positively associated with the level and change of controlled academic motivation, while the level and change of perceived negative relationships with teachers were negatively associated with the level and change of autonomous academic motivation. These results suggest a distinct role of parental and teacher relationships in specific aspects of academic motivation. • Parental academic pressure increased, positively linked with controlled motivation. • Peer victimization decreased across the secondary school transition. • Negative relationships with teachers decreased across the secondary school transition. • Autonomous academic motivation decreased across the secondary school transition. • Negative relationships with teachers negatively linked with autonomous motivation.