Self-Esteem and Motivation for Learning in Academic Achievement: The Mediating Role of Reasoning and Verbal Fluidity

Nieves Moyano, Alberto Quílez-Robres and Alejandra Cortés Pascual
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Nieves Moyano: Department of Evolutionary Psychology and Education, Faculty of Humanities and Science Education, University of Jaén, 23009 Jaén, Spain
Alberto Quílez-Robres: Department of Sciences Education, Faculty of Humanities and Science Education, University of Zaragoza, 50001 Zaragoza, Spain
Alejandra Cortés Pascual: Department of Sciences Education, Faculty of Education, University of Zaragoza, 50001 Zaragoza, Spain

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 14, 1-14

Abstract: The goal of the present study was to analyze the joint role that non-cognitive (motivation and self-esteem) and cognitive (verbal fluency and reasoning) factors play on academic achievement, both as a global score and in relation to specific subjects, such as language and literature and mathematics. We also analyzed the mediating role of cognitive factors. We recruited a sample of 133 primary education students (aged 6–9 years old) (47.6% girls, 52.6% boys), to whom various measures of the above-indicated variables were administered. Several predictive models were tested through a mediational regression analysis. The results indicated the relevance of intrinsic motivation together with self-esteem as predictors of academic achievement mediated by the cognitive abilities verbal fluency and reasoning. These relationships differed depending on the specific subject. We discuss the educational implications of these findings and emphasize, on the one hand, that academic achievement depends on both cognitive and non-cognitive factors and, on the other hand, the malleability of cognitive factors, as they seem to improve based on motivation and self-esteem.

Keywords: self-esteem; motivation for learning; academic achievement; reasoning; verbal fluidity (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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