How teaching shapes motivations to learn across middle school subjects

Background Middle school students' motivation to learn is critical but complex. No single theory can capture the variety of concurrent motives students experience across the range of different domains within which they need to achieve. Previous research has suggested that flexible person-centered, theoretically integrative research design which marries teaching and student learning is an important part of making advances improving our understanding of this complex issue. Aims The present study was designed to examine the impact of students' instructional experiences on their motivations to learn in native language, foreign language and mathematics middle school classes. Methods Applying perceived control, social cognitive and self-determination theories, the present person-centered study examined the lagged relationship between instructional experiences (Structure, Involvement and Autonomy-Support) and subgroup membership. Subgroups and their respective profiles were estimated employing Latent Profile Analysis (LPA). The study took place at six individual Japanese middle schools, with data collected from year nine students ( n = 813; Female = 384). Instructional experiences and profiled data collections were separated by approximately five months. Results LPAs for each subject resulted in four common subgroups with profiles partially consistent with previous research findings and aligning with established relationships between motivation and self-efficacy beliefs. Structure stood out as the most important predictive instructional experience for membership in the Good Quality motivation profile, highlighting the well-established role of teaching components such as clarity and feedback. The practical, theoretical and cultural implications are discussed for the field going forward.