Investigating the Predictive Relationships between Trauma and Persecution and Academic Motivation with Female Afghan High School Students: A Correlational Study

The purpose of this quantitative, non-experimental, predictive correlation study was to determine if there is a predictive relationship between academic motivation and the linear combination of trauma and persecution of Afghanistan female high school students. The study sample of 119 female students was drawn from two underground high schools in Afghanistan in the grades of 10-12, aged 16-20. Instruments included the Academic Motivation Scale, the Child Post-Traumatic Cognitive Inventory, and the Persecution and Deservedness Scale. A multiple linear regression analysis was applied to assess how well the criterion variable (academic motivation) was predicted using the whole set of predictor variables (trauma and persecution), as well the predictive value of each predictor variable when the other predictor variable is controlled. Findings of the study did not show a significant correlation between the linear combination of trauma and persecution and academic motivation, however coefficient analysis suggested relationships between each of the predictor variables and the criterion variable when examined independently. As trauma increased so did motivation; as persecution increased, motivation decreased. There was also a finding of significant clinical PTSD symptomology in 86% of the sample, well above rates found in Western student populations. Also, despite the high PTSD rate, as well as high persecutory thought rates, academic motivation was commensurate with that found among students in studies in non-conflict countries, consistent with resiliency and self-determination theory. By examining the impact of trauma and persecution on the academic motivation of female high school Afghan students, the study has added to the limited body of knowledge of how children respond to extremely adverse circumstances, and how that might be applied in helping them succeed, as well as providing a foundation for further study.