The Impact of Major-Choice Motivation on Learning Engagement and Learning Outcomes(Satisfaction) among Baking & Pastry and Culinary Arts Students

This study examined how major-choice motivation (intrinsic and extrinsic) influences learning engagement and learning outcomes(satisfaction) among college students majoring in baking & pastry and culinary arts. Data were collected from 202 students and analyzed using SPSS 23.0. The analyses included exploratory factor analysis, reliability analysis, independent-samples t-tests, correlation analysis, and multiple regression. The results showed that intrinsic motivation had a significant positive effect on learning engagement and learning outcomes(satisfaction). Extrinsic motivation did not significantly predict learning engagement, but it had a small yet significant positive effect on learning outcomes(satisfaction). Learning engagement also had a significant positive effect on learning outcomes(satisfaction). In addition, independent-samples t-tests indicated that the two majors differed in the mean levels of intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation, learning engagement, and learning outcomes(satisfaction). These findings suggest that strengthening students’ intrinsic motivation and promoting active engagement may enhance learning outcomes(satisfaction) in practice-oriented culinary education.