Exploring motivational profiles of upper primary students in tuition classes in Singapore

In Singapore’s meritocratic education system, academic excellence is highly valued, propelling a widespread culture of tuition to supplement mainstream schooling. Despite the government’s efforts to pivot towards a “joy of learning” ethos - emphasizing intrinsic interest over exam results - many parents persist in enrolling their children in tuition classes for core subjects. Adopting a mixed methods design, the present study investigated the motivational dynamics of upper primary students engaged in tuition classes in Singapore, juxtaposing the government’s educational reforms with the enduring tuition phenomenon. It revolves around three research questions. The first question seeks to delineate the relationship between the students’ psychological need satisfaction and their levels of autonomous, controlled motivation and amotivation within the context of tuition classes in Singapore. The second question aimed to ascertain if there were distinct motivational profiles among this group of students. Lastly, the third question aimed to identify the factors contributing to these motivational profiles.

A total of 25 upper primary students from a tuition centre in Singapore were surveyed on their need satisfaction and types of motivation. A cluster analysis was performed and two distinct motivational profiles were identified. Subsequently, three students from each motivational profile were interviewed to delve deeper into the factors contributing to their motivational profiles.

To answer the first research question, correlational analysis was conducted.
Consistent with previous research, results revealed that autonomy satisfaction and relatedness satisfaction were positively related to autonomous motivation and negatively correlated to amotivation, but there was no significant relationship between these two variables and controlled motivation. Competence satisfaction was found to be positively correlated to autonomous motivation and negatively related to controlled motivation, but not to have a significant relationship to amotivation.

For the second research question, cluster analyses were carried out and two distinct motivational profiles were found. Students in the first motivational profile had heightened autonomous motivation and lower controlled motivation and amotivation (Cluster 1), whereas students in the second profile had lower autonomous motivation and higher controlled motivation and amotivation (Cluster 2). Independent-samples t-tests revealed that Cluster 1 had higher autonomy satisfaction and relatedness satisfaction scores compared to Cluster 2, but there was no significant difference between the clusters in competence satisfaction.

In exploring factors influencing motivational profiles for the third research question, three themes emerged: basic psychological need satisfaction, physical environment of classrooms and type of goals (intrinsic vs extrinsic). Students from different motivational profiles differed in their perceptions of whether their basic psychological needs were met, the conduciveness of the physical environment of the classrooms to learning, and whether they espoused intrinsic or extrinsic goals.

The findings of the study bear several important implications for pedagogical and policy practices. Firstly, it is crucial that classroom environments satisfy students’ autonomy, competence and relatedness needs in order to foster their autonomous motivation. Secondly, the physical environment of classrooms plays an important role in students’ motivation. Finally, both school and tuition teachers need to nurture and inculcate intrinsic rather than extrinsic goals in students.