Goldsmiths - University of London

Kovas, Yulia; Garon-Carrier, G.; Boivin, M.; Petrill, Stephen A.; Plomin, Robert; Malykh, S.; Spinath, F.; Murayama, K.; Ando, J.; Bogdanova, O.Y.; Brendgen, M.; Dionne, G.; Forget-Dubois, N.; Galajinsky, E.V.; Gottschling, J.; Guay, F.; Lemelin, J.P.; Logan, J.A.R; Yamagata, S.; Shikishima, C.; Spinath, B.; Thompson, L.A.; Tikhomirova, T.N.; Tremblay, R.; Vitaro, F. and Tosto, M.G.. 2015. Why children differ in motivation to learn: Insights from over 13,000 twins from 6 countries. Personality and Individual Differences, 80, pp. 51-63. ISSN 0191-8869 [Article]

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Abstract or Description

Little is known about why people differ in their levels of academic motivation. This study explored the etiology of individual differences in enjoyment and self-perceived ability for several school subjects in nearly 13,000 twins aged 9 to 16 from 6 countries. The results showed a striking consistency across ages, school subjects, and cultures. Contrary to common belief, enjoyment of learning and children’s perceptions of their competence were no less heritable than cognitive ability. Genetic factors explained approximately 40% of the variance and all of the observed twins’ similarity in academic motivation. Shared environmental factors, such as home or classroom, did not contribute to the twin’s similarityin academic motivation.Environmental influences stemmedentirely from individual specific experiences.

Item Type:	Article
Identification Number (DOI):	doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2015.02.006
Keywords:	Enjoyment; Self-perceived ability; Twin studies; Cross-cultural study; Teacher/classroom; effect; Individual differences
Departments, Centres and Research Units:	Psychology
Dates:	Date Event 4 February 2015 Accepted 5 March 2015 Published Online 1 July 2015 Published
Item ID:	20671
Date Deposited:	10 Aug 2017 14:33
Last Modified:	10 Aug 2017 14:33
Peer Reviewed:	Yes, this version has been peer-reviewed.
URI:	http://research.gold.ac.uk/id/eprint/20671

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