Relations among Achievement Motives, Autonomy, Performance in Mathematics, and Satisfaction of Pupils in Elementary School

Based on a literature review a model of motivation was constructed with dispositional achievement motives at the global level, relative autonomy at the context-specific level, and performance and satisfaction in school at the criterion level. Among 110 elementary-school pupils, assessments included the Achievement Motives Scale for achievement motives, the Self-regulation Questionnaire for relative autonomy, the Mathematics Test for Children, and the Satisfaction at School Scale. Both bivariate and multiple regression analyses yielded the following significant results: (i) The motive to achieve success correlated positively and the motive to avoid failure correlated negatively with relative autonomy at school. (ii) The motive to avoid failure correlated negatively with performance in mathematics. (iii) Satisfaction in school correlated. positively with the motive to achieve success, relative autonomy, and performance. The results are discussed in relation to achievement motivation and self-determination theory.