Mental Motivation and Attentional Control as Predictors of Academic Success: Evidence From High- and Low-Performing Students

Attentional control and mental motivation are critical cognitive factors underlying academic Success. However, their interrelationships and differential patterns across performance levels remain underexplored in higher education populations. Therefore, this study examined differences in attentional control and mental motivation between high- and low-achieving university students, and assessed how gender, academic specialization, and study level relate to these constructs. Total of 300 undergraduate students completed validated Arabic versions of the attentional control and mental motivation scales. Results showed that high-achieving students demonstrated superior attentional shifting, but did not differ from low-achieving peers in attentional focusing or mental motivation scores. Critically, attentional shifting mediates the relationship between academic achievement and mental motivation, suggesting that achievement differences in mental motivation are partly explained by shifting capacity. Female students reported significantly higher motivation than males; no effects emerged for academic specialization or study level. In conclusion, these findings highlight attentional shifting—not focusing—as a key cognitive mechanism in academic success. Interventions targeting attentional control, particularly shifting abilities, may enhance student mental motivation and achievement outcomes.