This study explored motivation for learning and its relationship to undergraduate majors in engineering and social work. Three motivation measurement scales, the Basic Psychological Needs Scale (BPNS), the Achievement Goal Orientation Scale (AGOS), and the Situational Motivation Scale (SIMS), were used. Use of MANOVA generated motivational profiles for students from both majors. The 320 student participants reported significant differences across various measures of learning motivation, with social work differing from engineering. Understanding why students choose certain majors has implications for instructors, programs, and institutions in regard to optimizing learning-teaching strategies, especially for those in increasingly interdisciplinary environments.
Miki et al. (Sun,) studied this question.