System Engineering and Productivity

System Engineering and Productivity

The Effect of Motivational Factors on Students' Productivity and Academic Performance with the Moderating Role of the Year of University Entry (Case Study: Faculty of Dentistry, Tehran University of Medical Sciences)

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors
1 Corresponding author: Assistant Professor, Ministry of Science, Research, and Technology, Tehran, Iran
2 Assistant Professor, Faculty of Humanities, University of Science and Culture, Tehran, Iran
3 M.Sc., Faculty of Humanities, University of Science and Culture, Tehran, Iran
Abstract
Despite the high importance of motivation in improving students' academic performance and productivity, it is still unclear which motivational factors have the greatest effect in this regard. Also, the role of differences in the year of entry to the university in the intensity of this effect has received less attention. Clarifying this issue can lead to targeted policies to improve the educational system. The present study was conducted with the aim of prioritizing the motivational factors effective in the performance and progress or academic productivity of students at the Faculty of Dentistry, considering the moderating variable of the year of entry to the University of Tehran. This study is a descriptive survey and cross-sectional study in terms of its applied purpose and in terms of the method of data collection. The statistical population of the present study consists of all students at the Faculty of Dentistry, University of Tehran, from 2015 to 2021, totaling 492 people, of whom 216 people were selected as samples by stratified random sampling method based on the Krejci and Morgan table. To measure the variables of the research model, the Pham and Taylor Academic Performance Questionnaire was used; Motivational factors and students' grade point average were used. Data analysis was performed at two levels, descriptive and inferential (structural equation model) and was implemented using SPSS24 and SMARTPLS software. The results show that intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation, hard work, and the need for progress are the main factors affecting the performance and academic achievement of dental students. However, the role of the year of entering the university was only significant in the relationship between extrinsic motivation and some aspects of intrinsic motivation with academic results. Therefore, motivation improvement programs should pay attention to both the type of motivation and the characteristics of students, and it will also be helpful in the university's macro-decision-making to improve performance and increase student productivity.

Highlights

  • To measure the variables of the research model, the Pham and Taylor Academic Performance Questionnaire was used; Motivational factors and students' grade point average were used.
  • Data analysis was performed at two levels, descriptive and inferential (structural equation model).

Keywords
Subjects

Copyright © Shahin Homayoun Arya, Akbar Goldasteh, Somayeh Divisty

 

License

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Volume 5, Issue 3 - Serial Number 16
Serial No. 16, Autumn Quarterly
Autumn 2025
Pages 67-86

  • Receive Date 22 May 2025
  • Revise Date 23 June 2025
  • Accept Date 29 June 2025
  • First Publish Date 29 June 2025
  • Publish Date 22 November 2025