Motivation quality and psychological well-being in young adolescent students of music: The role of performance achievement levels

Introduction. Investigating psychological well-being as a resource for student achievement remains a critical research priority. Motivation — varying in quality — serves as a key determinant of engagement, enjoyment, and perceived meaningfulness in learning. Its contribution to psychological well-being may be mediated by activity-specific achievements. This study examines the psychological well-being of music school students with differing performance achievement levels in relation to motivational quality. Materials and Methods. Participants included 45 early adolescents enrolled in a music school. Groups were stratified by performance achievement level using documentation reviews and expert evaluations. Psychological well-being was assessed via the Psychological Well-Being Scale for Children Aged 8–12 Years (PWB-c), while motivational quality was measured using Gordeeva et al.’s Academic Motivation Scales and Leontiev’s Activity-Related Experience Inventory. Results. Students with higher performance achievement demonstrated distinct profiles of autonomous and controlled motivation. Dominance of achievement motivation (a subtype of intrinsic motivation) correlated with superior musical performance outcomes. Crucially, the interplay between motivational quality and achievement shaped psychological well-being: intrinsic motivation unsupported by competence-building achievements corresponded to lower well-being. Conclusion. The findings underscore the need to integrate motivational quality into music education frameworks, informing targeted psychological and educational interventions for music students.