final report kh7

8/3/2019 Final Report KH7

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Umeå University, Umeå School of Business

Business Administration B, module 1Research Methods in Business Administration

Spring 2010Supervisor: Kiflemariam Hamde

Group KH 7

To study or not to studyThat is the question

Motivational factors of the students at USBEA comparison between Swedish and international students

Sara Collin, Gustav Hellström, Annie Johanson, Samrawit Yohannes



Umeå School of Business, Umeå University

Business Administration B, module 1, Research Methods in Business Administration

Spring 2010Sara Collin, Gustav Hellstöm, Annie Johanson, Samrawit Yohannes

International Business Program

Supervisor Kiflemariam Hamde

2

SummaryThe term paper deals with the motivational factors to study at an institute of higher educationand the focus is on differences between Swedish and international students. In order to

conclude the motivational factors of the students we distributed questionnaires to a sample of 100 students at Umeå School of Business. We consider some of the findings in the paper to be

both expected and unexpected and the differences between Swedish and international studentswere not as distinct as we thought.

The research is based on three well-known motivational theories that have guided us through

the research process. These three theories represent different kinds of motivation and we think that the majority of the students can identify themselves with at least one of the theories.








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Table of content

1. INTRODUCTION1.1 Choice of subject 4

1.2 Problem background 41.3 Problem 61.4 Purpose 61.5 Description of concepts 61.6 Limitations 6

2. SCIENTIFIC METHOD2.1 Pre-understanding 62.2 Vision of the world 72.3 Scientific approach 82.4 Choice of theories 92.5 Choice of secondary sources and Criticism 9

3. THEORIES3.1 Goal setting theory 14

163.3 Expectancy theory 18

4. PRACTICAL METHOD4.1 Sample 204.2 Selection 214.3 Questionnaire 214.4 Access 224.5 Processing 22

5. EMPIRICAL FINDINGS 22

6. ANALYSIS AND CONCLUSION 25

7. TRUTH CRITERIA 29

8. REFERENCES 31








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1.Introduction

-Highligh ts our purpo s e and giv e s a c o m pr e h e n s iv e vi e w o f t h e c hoi ce o f t opi c .

1.1 Choice of subject As a choice of subject we have chosen motivational factors of the students at Umeå School of Business at Umeå University, which we will refer to as USBE. Our focus will be on potential

differences between Swedish and international students. Since we are students of theInternational Business Program we have been working with students from all over the world

and find this matter interesting. We have experienced both similarities and differences between students from all parts of the world, but we do not know which factors motivate

students. Therefore we believe it would be interesting to conduct a research paper concerning

an investigation of this issue.

1.2 Problem backgroundToday in the aftermaths of the global financial crisis the unemployment rate is sky high

(Ekonomifakta 2010) and companies have been forced to conduct layoffs because of thedecreased demand for their goods and services. Most sectors in Sweden have experienced a

decrease in activity, however there are a few exceptions. One is the education sector, whichhas experienced an increase of student enrolment to universities and colleges. Today, more

people than ever are attending some kind of higher education in Sweden (Th e Lo c al 2010).Many would argue this to be advantageous for the future prosperity and competitiveness of

Sweden, but we believe there are some negative aspects of this type of mass enrolment touniversities. One example is that the labour supply on the labour market is decreasing because

of the large cut downs and reductions in the working sector, which can be seen as an effect of

the financial crisis. This may lead to difficulties finding a job these days.

We believe that the increased number of applications to universities is partly due to these cutdowns on the labour market. These students attending higher education may be unmotivated

and not as devoted to their studies as they should be. This can have a major impact on thesuccessfulness of the studies, because in our opinion, motivation is the most important factor

for successful studies. However, far from all students attend universities because of the lack of work and not all of these students are unmotivated. Consequently, we want to investigate

what factors that actually motivated students at USBE to start studying at university level. We

find this topic relevant today because the number of students in the whole country is higher than ever and Umeå University is not an exception, which has been debated both in media and

among students in many universities these days. Therefore, this is something we want todevelop a deeper understanding of.

Approximately 360 000 prospective students applied to different types of programmes andcourses at institutes of higher education in fall 2009 . This is an increase of 22 percent

compared to fall 2008. (Na t ional au t hori t y o f high e r e du c a t ion 2010) Consequently, thenumber of full-time students in Sweden has increased to almost 300 000, which is the highest

number ever, according to new statistics (Th e Lo c al 2010). Compared to the previous year thenumber of students has increased with 8 percent (Na t ional au t hori t y o f high e r e du c a t ion

2010).








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At Umeå University the number of students during fall 2009 increased with 9 percent

compared to the previous year (Na t ional au t hori t y o f high e r e du c a t ion 2010).What we want to know is why so many students enrol in higher education in Sweden and

what the motivational factors are. Of course there is not a single answer to this question,

because every student has his or her own reason for attending higher education.

The number of international students in Sweden has increased enormously during the lastcouple of years. Approximately 36 600 international students were studying in Sweden during

fall 2008 (S t a t i st i c s S w e d e n 2009). The majority of these students came from other Europeancountries, but during the last couple of years the number of students from other continents,

mainly from Asia, has increased, (Na t ional au t hori t y o f high e r e du c a t ion 2010). The students

at Umeå University follow the same patterns as the rest of the country and the number of

foreign student has increased during the last couple of years (Vä st e rbo tt e n s ny tt 2008) . Onemajor difference between students studying at Umeå University today, compared to studentsstudying there 20 years ago is the spread of nationalities. Nowadays the atmosphere at the

University is more international and students from all over the world can be found on campus,which has created a multicultural environment with ethnical and cultural diversity.

One factor that may contribute to the high number of international students at Swedish

universities is that education is free of charge, for both Swedish and international students.We believe this to have a great impact on the motivational factors of the students when they

choose to study in Sweden. However, from 2011 education will no longer be free of charge

for international students and Sweden will introduce a new system of tuition fees for foreignstudents (Mini st ry o f Edu c a t ion , S w e d e n 2009). We believe the new system will have a major

impact on the number of foreign applicants to Swedish universities.

Besides the system of free of charge education, we think that there are other motivationalfactors to why people want to attend higher education in Sweden. Research has been

conducted regarding the different motivational factors and why students from different

cultures attend universities. According to the article Cro ss -Cul t ural Di ff e r e n ce s in t h e Ac ad e m i c Mo t iva t ion o f Univ e r s i t y S t ud e n ts in Malay s ia and t h e Uni t e d S t a t e s motivational hors of the article, Komarraju,Karau and Ramayah (2007), state that culture has a large impact on the motivation. Their

main focus lies in the difference in motivation between Asian students and students fromwestern countries. They argue that the academic motivation of Asian and western university

students differ for three reasons: the selection processes, family influences, and perceptions of

the relative importance of effort versus ability in determining academic success. Komarraju,Karau and Ramayah (2007), claim that these three reasons contribute to higher motivational

levels for Asian students. (Komarraju, Karau & Ramayah 2007)

As students of the International Business Program we study and work with foreign students.Thereby, we interact in a more international environment and experience cultural clashes in

our everyday life. This combined with the increased number of applicants to universities inrecent years makes us interested in different motivational factors and their dependence on

nationality, thus our choice of subject for the term paper.








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1.3 Problem

Wha t ar e t h e m o t iva t ional f a c t or s a ff ec t ing t h e d ec i s ion o f wh e t h e r or no t t o apply t o an in st i t u t e high e r e du c a t ion?

1.4 PurposeThe purpose of our research paper is to analyse the sources of motivation in the decision to

attend higher education, for both Swedish and international students at USBE.Also, we are going to compare and describe possible differences between these two groups.

When trying to determine the different motivational factors of students at USBE we

formulated a number of research questions. These questions will work as the foundation for

our research process, which enables us to keep a structured and organised collection of data.In order to select the research questions we reviewed literature, both academic articles and

books. However, our main inspiration to these questions was our personal interest andexperience.

The research questions we will answer are:

Wha t ar e t h e m o t iva t ional f a c t or s t o apply t o an in st i t u t e o f high e r e du c a t ion f or st ud e n ts a t U S BE o f U m e å Univ e r s i t y?

Ar e t h e r e any di ff e r e n ce s in m o t iva t ional f a c t or s b e t w ee n S w e di s h and in t e rna t ional st ud e n ts ?

1.5 Description of conceptsOne concept that will be used is in t e rna t ional st ud e n t , which refers to any student at Umeå

University that came from another country to Sweden to attend higher education.

1.6 LimitationsAs previously mentioned, we will analyse both Swedish and international students. However,

because of the limited time frame at hand, we have decided to narrow the research. First andforemost, by only using students at Umeå University we can improve the number of

respondents to our questionnaire and thereby enhancing the reliability and validity of our data.Also, since we are students of the International Business Program we think that focusing only

on students at USBE will facilitate our research due to their easy access. So, our main focus

for the term paper will be students of USBE.

2. Scientific method S how s how t h e r e s e ar c h ha s b ee n a ff ec t e d and s hap e d by di ff e r e n t f a c t or s , in ord e r t o giv e t h e r e ad e r a c o m pr e h e n s iv e vi e w o f our wor k

2.1 Pre-understandingThe pre-understanding of a topic is an advantage when conducting a research paper and will

enable a more comprehensive knowledge of the matter (Johansson Lindfors 1993:76). Severalauthors argue that a pre-understanding will have an impact on the working process as well








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(Johansson Lindfors 1993:76). Johansson and Lindfors (1993:76) state that previous

knowledge and understanding of a topic will most probably affect the outcome of theresearch.

There are two main categories of pre-understanding. The first one, pra c t i c al pre-understanding, refers to our own experiences and practical knowledge. The other category is

t h e or e t i c al pre-understanding, which refers to academic experience, for example previousstudies. (Johansson Lindfors 1993:76) Since we are students we have a practical pre-

understanding of the topic and some general ideas of which factors that may motivate studentsto apply to an institute of higher education. We also have some theoretical pre-understandings

that we have gained from our previously taken course in Organiza t ion and m anag e m e n t o f t h e f ir m that dealt with different motivational theories. However, our theoretical pre-

understanding is on a general level. Still, we believe that our theoretical and practical pre-understanding will have an impact on the working process as well as the outcome of our research. For example, they will be reflected in our questionnaire where the questions are

partly based on what we believe to be motivational factors. For this reason our research will be biased since it is not completely based on theories and literature. However, we believe that

our assumptions about motivational factors are reliable and therefore applicable.

2.2 Vision of the worldIn order to conduct the research we have chosen both an epistemological and an ontological

point of view. The epistemological consideration concerns what should be regarded as

knowledge and how to study the real world (K HamdeUmeå University 2010, Lecture 2, 29

Mars). Within the epistemological field there are two contrasting positions that representdifferent views of how the reality should be studied. We have decided to use the positivisticapproach, which favours methods of natural science in order to study the social reality

(Bryman & Bell 2007:16). The term na t ural s c i e n ce means that individuals should be studied

in a way that is value free with methods that favour facts rather than arguments and opinions(Bryman & Bell 2007:16). So, because we will conduct a quantitative research, the

positivistic approach is our epistemological position.

The second aspect that needs to be taken into consideration is ontology, which asks the

question: what is the real world? (K Hamde Umeå University 2010, Lecture 2, 29 Mars).Within the ontological field there are two contrasting positions: objectivism and

constructionism (Bryman & Bell 2007:22). Our ontological approach is objectivistic, meaningwe will view the students as tangible goods from an external point of view.

To further specify our vision of the world, we can use the four paradigms of Burrell andMorgan (1979) which are a number of beliefs that decide how we conduct our research and

the assumptions we will make as researchers about the students at the university (Bryman &Bell 2007:25-26).

Figure 2.1The Four Paradigms

OBJECTIVIST SUBJECTIVIST

REGULATORY Functionalist Interpretative

RADICAL Radical structuralist Radical humanist








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The concepts obj ec t ivi st and s ubj ec t ivi st , which can be seen in figure 2.1 (The Four

Paradigms), are two contrasting positions that explain how a researcher views the organisation being studied (Bryman & Bell 2007:25). Since we will view USBE of Umeå University from

an external point of view, we are objectivists (Bryman & Bell 2007:25).

The concepts r e gula t ory and radi c al refer to the purpose of a research (Bryman & Bell

2007:26). According to Bryman and Bell (2007), the regulatory point of view aim to describethe organisation rather than to make judgements of it (Bryman & Bell 2007:26). Therefore,

because we are interested in describing the motivational factors for the students we will usethe regulatory approach.

Based on the reasoning above, our view of the reality and research complies with the

f un c t ionali st paradigm.

2.3 Scientific approach We will base our research on existing motivational theories and apply these to the datareceived from our questionnaire. This is a so-called d e du c t iv e approa c h , where the researcher

starts with a theory to analyse if it complies with empirical evidence of the research (Bryman& Bell 2007:11). Another approach to the relationship between theory and research isindu c t iv e t h e ory , which aims to generate a theory based on the observations (Bryman & Bell2007:11). This means that we would try to come up with theories and models of our own,

based on the data collected from the questionnaire and interviews. Due to our relatively shorttime at hand it is difficult to develop new theories that are reliable and valid. Thereby we have

decided to use a deductive approach for our research.

Usually, a deductive research is conducted with a quantitative approach that includes

hypothesis testing in order to specify the observations (Bryman & Bell 2007:11). However,according to Bryman & Bell, hypotheses are not required in a quantitative research. Instead,

theory can work as concerns, which are to be examined, rather than being tested as ahypothesis. (Bryman & Bell 2007:155). We have decided to not conduct any hypothesis

testing since it will be difficult with our limited period of time together with that the size of the sample has to be relatively large for a hypothesis to be applicable and trustworthy. Based

on the reasoning above the research process has been based on a number of research questions

and not any hypothesis.

We will use a quantitative research strategy, which focuses on generalisation from the sampleto the whole population. Since we are going to conduct a type of non-probability sample,

which we will discuss further in chapter four, it is not possible to generalise because this type

of sample cannot be representative. Although, we still consider that a quantitative research ismost appropriate for our research. As we explained above in vi s ion o f t h e world , we will focus

on a natural science approach and view the students from an external point of view. Thereby,we will focus more on hard data and facts rather than in deep knowledge and this point of

view favours a quantitative research strategy (Bryman & Bell 2007:426).

As explained, we will analyze if there are any differences in the motivational factors betweenSwedish and international students. Hence, we will use a c o m para t iv e r e s e ar c h d e s ign .








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Bell 2007:66).

2.4 Choice of theories The three motivation theories for our research are:

Goal-setting theory by Locke and Latham

Expectancy theory by Porter and Lawler

The hierarchy of needs by Maslow

Goal- s e tt ing t h e ory states, that when an individual has a specific goal the performance is moretarget-oriented than without a goal (Miner 2005:161). We think that the goal setting theory is

relevant for our research since students have different goals with their studies. We will test if this theory holds for our sample. Thus, we will compare the level of motivation between the

students that have specific goals with those who have not.

has a more basic idea of fulfilling the everyday needs of anindividual. The hierarchy consists of five steps: physical, safety, love and belonging, esteemand self-actualisation. According to this theory, for an individual to reach a higher stage of the

hierarchy the lower-level need must be fulfilled. (Bloisi et al. 2007:199) We believe it will beinteresting to analyse how the need for higher education differs between students.

Consequently, we will analyse where these needs are placed on the hierarchy and if the needscan be satisfied by studying.

Exp ec t an c y t h e ory claims that motivation is driven by the results/price one gets from the process (Miner 2005:98). An example of this is a person attending higher education to receive

a relatively higher wage in the future. We chose to incorporate this theory into our research because it includes variables that explain factors related to the personality, such as self-

esteem.

Since people differ from one another, the motivational theories are not to be generalized.Therefore, we have chosen theories with different approaches that can explain the motivation

to attend an institute of higher education from different angles. As explained, the goal setting

theory upon individual needs. The third theory, Expectancy theory, aims at describing how

individual characteristics affect motivation. We believe that these different approaches tomotivation provide a comprehensive explanation for why individuals attend higher education.

2.5 Choice of secondary sources and Criticism of sourcesIn the literature Rappor t e r o c h upp s a ts e r (2008:126), the author Jarl Backman describes theuse of secondary sources as when a researcher uses other researchers collected data for their

own studies. Further on, Backman (2008) emphasises the fact that a researcher should as far as possible try to use original sources when conducting a scientific paper or research. This,

since one problem arising when using secondary sources is the difficulty of knowing how the

researcher has collected the data and if the information is to be seen as valid, reliable andrelevant (Johansson Lindfors 1993:117). When it comes to the use of theories our research








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will partly be based on these types of sources. All the literature and scientific articles that we

are using in our paper are to be denoted as secondary sources. We have considered carefullyhow to choose our secondary sources in order to make sure of their relevance for the research.

The foundation and structure of the research is partly based on the course literature Bu s in e ss r e s e ar c h m e t hod s (Oxford University Press Inc. 2007). The book is written by Alan Bryman,

who currently is Professor of Organisational and Social Research at the University of Leicester and Emma Bell who is Senior Lecturer in Organization Studies at Queen Mary,

University of London, UK. The book brings up the core concepts, methods, and valuesinvolved in business research. We believe this book to be interesting and well written that

shows a high quality of the book.

Further on the book has Rappor t e r o c h upp s a ts e r (Studentlitteratur 2008) by Jarl Backman,Professor at Umeå University has been applied to create an understanding of why a certainapproach in the research should be used. Also, For s k ning s m e t odi k - o m k vali t a t iva o c h k van t i t a t iva m e t od e r (Magne Holme & Krohn Solvang1996), has guided us through our studyand given us directions on how to form the quantitative research. Both of these books have

functioned as a complement to Bu s in e ss R e s e ar c h M e t hod s , in ord e r t o provid e a wid e r and c o m pr e h e n s iv e und e r st anding o f t h e wri t ing pro ce ss and t h e di ff e r e n t r e s e ar c h approa c h e s availabl e .

In the book Att u t v eck la k un s k ap (Studentlitteratur 1993) the writer Maj-Britt Johansson

Lindfors, Assistant Professor at USBE at Umeå Universitet, describes the different phases of the research process from start till end. The use of this book has given us the tools to form a

thorough planning for our thesis writing, for us to keep a structured working process and beable to adjust our work to the given time limit.

Manag e m e n t & Organi s a t ional B e haviour (McGraw Hill Education 2007) is written by

Wendy Bloisi, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Management and Professional

Development at London Metropolitan University, and has functioned as one of our principalsources for basic knowledge of motivational factors. The author describes the theories and

concepts in a clear and structured way, which makes it easy to understand. Since this book isused as course literature it is an indication of validity and high quality. We used this book to

get an overview of different motivational theories, in order to choose the best ones suited for our thesis. This book also provided good information about two of theories used, hi e ra r c hy o f n ee d s and Goal s e tt ing t h e ory .

For additional understanding of motivational theories we used the book Organiza t ional B e haviour 1: E ss e n t ial Th e ori e s o f Mo t iva t ion and Le ad e r s hip Boo k D e s c rip t ion (M.E.Sharpe, Inc. 2006). The writer John B Miner describes in a comprehensive way a detailed

review and analysis of the leading motivational theories. John B Miner is a consultant andexpert witness in the area of psychological testing. He has written over 50 books and over 135

other publications. We believe this to be a sign of both the author and the books reliability.All information in our thesis about Exp ec t an c y t h e ory is based on this book, which we believe

to provide an exhaustive explanation of the theory. This book was also used as an addition to

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_Research

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Leicester




http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_Research








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Management & Organisational Behaviour to give us knowledge about Locke and Lath

Goal s e tt ing t h e ory .

For further understanding of how to link motivational theories to education and interrelated

topics we have used the book (Prentice Hall, 2007). We believe that the book gives a comprehensive and clear view of the

matter. The book is written by Dale H Schunk, Paul R Pintrich and Judith L Meece. Dale HSchunk is an educational psychologist and Dean of the School of Education at the University

of North Carolina at Greensboro. Schunk received the Albert J. Harris Research Award fromthe International Reading Association, which we think contributes to the trustworthiness and

quality of the book. Paul R Pintrich is Professor of Education and Psychology and Chair of

the Combined Program in Education and Psychology at the University of Michigan, Ann

Arbor. Judith L Meece is a member of the School of Education faculty, and serves as AreaChair of Human Development and Psychological Studies.

The article Cro ss -Cul t ural Di ff e r e n ce s in t h e Ac ad e m i c Mo t iva t ion o f Univ e r s i t y S t ud e n ts in Malay s ia and t h e Uni t e d S t a t e s deals with the cultural effect on motivation and it states that

culture has a major impact on the motivation. The authors Meera Komarraju and Steven J.Karau are professors at Southern Illinois University and T. Ramayah is a professor at

Universiti Sains Malaysia. Since the authors are professors from both United States andMalaysia we think that the article is trustworthy and a reliable source. There are several

limitations in their study, one of them has low to marginal internal

consistency on some subscales In this article the authors discuss cultural differences inacademic motivation, which gave us inspiration to conduct a comparative research between

Swedish and international students. The article also provided us with ideas of how to interpretthe findings of our questionnaire.

The article Mo t iva t ion t o S t udy in High e r Edu c a t ion: A Co m pari s on b e t w ee n G e r m any and Gr e a t Br i t ain is written by Helen E. Higson, Professor at Aston University and Sandra

Loeber. It concerns the difference in motivational factors to attend higher education andcompare students from Germany and Great Britain. Since both the authors are from Great

Britain it can be argued that the authors are biased and favour students from Great Britain. Itshould be noted that the findings from this article cannot be generalised. Therefore we will

not apply these findings on our research but rather use them as guidelines. We found thisarticle to be very similar to the research we wanted to conduct, therefore relevant for our

topic. Also, we are positive to that it was newly produced

The article Th e Inv e st m e n t Mo t iv e For Att e nding Coll e g e is written by Michael B. Tannen,

Professor at University of the District of Columbia. The article concerns whether or not it is profitable to attend higher education. The drawback with the article is that it focuses on

United States and was written in 1974. Therefore, it can be argued that the article may be tooold in order to be applicable today. We chose this article since we wanted to analyse if there

were any differences in the expected outcome of higher education between the students whohave to pay for education and those who do not, which is tested in the article. Therefore this

article felt relevant to our topic

http://www.infibeam.com/Books/search?author=Dale%20H%20Schunk

http://www.infibeam.com/Books/search?author=Paul%20R%20Pintrich

http://www.infibeam.com/Books/search?author=Judith%20L%20Meece

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Educational_psychology

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Educational_psychology

http://www.infibeam.com/Books/search?author=Judith%20L%20Meece

http://www.infibeam.com/Books/search?author=Paul%20R%20Pintrich

http://www.infibeam.com/Books/search?author=Dale%20H%20Schunk








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The article Building a Pra c t i c ally U s e f ul Th e ory o f Goal s and Ta s k Mo t iva t ion is written by

Motivation at the R.H Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland. Professor

Gary P. Latham is the Secretary of State Professor of Organizational Behaviour, University of

of the most important Management theories according to a recent survey. This shows that the

article is reliable and trustworthy. This article was found after we had decided our theories.We found it relevant and applicable due to the authors and the headline of the article

All of our scientific articles have been collected from databases that we have found via the

database at the library of Umeå University. All of the articles have been found via databases

between 6 -10th

of April, except Building a Pra c t i c ally U s e f ul Th e ory o f Goal S e tt ing and

Ta s k Mo t iva t ion , which was found 18th of April. Mutual for these articles is that they are to beviewed as scientific articles. This due to their existence in the database system and that they- ce.








13

Search

word

Number

of hits

T ime cited

in this

database

C ited

referenc

es

Name of article Author Publicised Selec tion

method

51 13 -

motive for attending

Tannen,

Michael B

Industrial &

Labor

Relations

Review,

1978

Checked the

headlines and the

summary andchose this article

since it felt

relevant to our

topic

-

3 40 - -Cul t ural Di ff e r e n ce s in t h e Ac ad e m i c Mo t iva t ion o f Univ e r s i t y S t ud e n ts in Malay s ia and t h e Uni t e d

Komarraju

, Karau,

Steven J

Ramayah,

T

North

American

Journal of

Psychology,

2007

Using a

comparative

research design

we found this

article interestingand relevant for

our term paper

12- -

S t udy in High e r Edu c a t ion: ACo m pari s on b e t w ee n G e r m any and

Loeber,Sandra

Higson,

Helen E

HigherEducation

in Europe,

2009

This article feltrelevant since is

concerns topics

similar to ours.

Also, we are

positive to that it

was newly produced

3 - -

Pra c t i c ally U s e f ul Th e ory

o f Goal s and Ta s k Mo t iva

Edwin A.

Locke,

Gary P.

Latham

American

Physiologist

, 2007

This article was

found after we

had decided our

theories. Wefound it relevant

and applicable

due to the authors

and the headline

of the article








14

3.Theories

- R e por t o f t h e t h e ori e s t ha t ar e b e ing u s e d in t h e pap e r

a c on s c iou s d ec i s ion t o p e r f or m on e or m or e a c t ivi t i e s wi t h gr e a t e r e ff or t t han on e p e r f or m s o t h e r a c t ivi t i e s c o m p e t ing f or a tt e n t ion Research about motivation has been conducted and there are many motivational theories that

aim to describe individual behaviour. But motivational theories cannot be regarded asgenerally applicable because individuals are different and have different goals and needs.

Therefore, we have searched for theories with different perspectives, in order for them to

represent as many students as possible at USBE. To describe different motivational factor wehave applied three theories:

3.1 Goal setting theory

e s ir e d ou t c o m e o f an a c t ion , whi c h b ec o m e s m o t iva t ional wh e n a p e r s on (Bloisi et al. 2007:240)

One of the most common elements when discussing motivational theories is the striving

towards a goal. The powerful effect and value of goal setting is well recognised and often

considered to be one of the superior motivational theories in personal development and personal growth (Bloisi et al. 2007:240). During the last decades, several models and

assumptions that fall under the name of goal s e tt ing t h e ori e s have been presented. Together,all these theories, put their focus on what motivates people from within and what individual

needs that are necessary in order to reach an external goal (Miner 2005:161). One example of these theories is the goal setting theory by Locke and Lathman (Schunk, Pintrich & Meece

2008:143). According to Schunk, Pintrich and Meece (2008) people become motivated by agoal that they have constructed and put up for themselves (Schunk, Pintrich & Meece

Motivation

Goal settingtheory

Expectancytheory

Hierarchyof needs

STUDENT MOTIVATION








15

2008:143). They also claim that all people involved in a goal are of mutual agreement on how

to fulfil that goal. For construction of a goal to be as effective as possible it is of greatimportance that the goal is relatively difficult to achieve. However, it should not be

impossible to fulfil. Locke & Lathman (2002) further explains that the goal should be specific

and clear. Goals that are vague or too easy to achieve do not have strength in motivational power. (Locke & Lathman, 2002)

The settler and pioneer within this field of study is Dr. Edwin Locke. He was the first to

conduct research on the connection between goal setting and motivation (Miner 2005:160).

combined with a follow-up and feedback of the work can motivate employees of a firm

greatly. He discovered that the studied employees were inspired and stimulated by the idea of

jointly working in a group towards a specific goal. This also contributed to the employeesimproving their performance. (Miner 2005:161-165)

Figure 3.1 Model of high performance cycle

Furthermore, Locke found that people were more driven by goals that were challenging and

specific, rather than easy and vague (Schunk, Pintrich & Meece 2008:143). He specifies twogoal characteristics: goal di ff i c ul t y and goal s p ec i f i c i t y (Bloisi et al. 2007: 241). Goal

difficulty explains how challenging the goal and the required effort are. Further on, goalspecificity is the clarity and precision of a goal. For example, it is easier to set a goal that is

measurable or quantifiable, but harder to set a goal when it concerns feelings of content or

well being. (Bloisi et al. 2007: 241). A quantifiable goal, compared to a non-measureablegoal, can more easily be made specific, and thereby more easily increase motivation (Bloisi et

al. 2007: 241). According to Bloisi (2007), Locke expands his theory and models by includingtwo more characteristics. The third one is goal of a cce p t an ce , which is the extent to which a

person accepts a goal as his or her own. Furthermore, the fourth characteristic is the goal of c o mm i t m e n t , which relates to how interested or committed a person is in reaching the goal.(Bloisi et al. 2007: 241)

Later on, Locke further develops his theories together with Dr. Gary Latham. They classify

five moderators that are essential to the success of goal setting. The moderators are in randomorder; goal importance, goal commitment, feedback, challenge and task complexity. (Locke &








16

Lathman 2002) Figure 3.1 (Model of high performance cycle) shows the cycle of different

factors that affects the satisfaction and performance (Mod e l o f high p e r f or m an ce c y c l e ,

US,2002)

Since the goal setting theory is, as mentioned above, one of the most recognised motivationaltheories and applicable to several different situations, it is important for us to take it into

consideration when conducting our research. The research will be based on the chosentheories and we believe that the goal setting theory is an important link to understand the

motivational factors of prospective students.

A goal is something individual and personal that most people have and it is also possible to

relate and connect to different situations. When it comes to applying for an institute of higher

education all prospective students have a goal in mind. We believe that, depending on the goalof the person, he or she will perform on different levels during their education. This can be pecificity. This means that it is of great

importance that the goal of the prospective student is clear and specific. If a person has a clear goal when wanting to attend a particular higher education we believe that this type of student

motivates him- or herself more easily during the period of studies, compared to a student withless clear goals. However, we believe that it is the latter type of applicant, with unclear goals,

that has increased over the last years. As mentioned in the probl e m ba ck ground , we believethat this is an effect of the financial crisis.

Since our purpose with the research is to analyse motivational factors, we believe that it isalso interesting to analyse what motivates those who do no t have an obvious goal with their

intention to study. Furthermore, we believe that a student can have a goal that is notnecessarily

commitment. A prospective student may have a goal to fulfil even though he or she may not be fully committed to it. The goal can be the wishes of someone else. For example, a

prospective student might apply to a certain education because of pressure from his or her

parents. Consequently, this person does not fully accept the goal and can never be fullymotivated.

Abraha heory is grounded on five basic needs. The mostcrucial needs are those in the bottommost part of the pyramid. According to Maslow, once a

lower category need is completely satisfied an individual can move upward to a higher level(Bloisi et al. 2003:199). In the bottom of the pyramid we find the, phy s i c al needs followed by

s a f e t y needs and lov e and b e longing needs. The higher needs at the top are the grow t h needse st ee m needs and ultimately s e l f -a c t ualiza t ion needs which are considered to be of lessimportance than the steps below, this is shown in figure 3.2 (Mas

below. (Schunk, Pintrich & Meece 2008:172-173)








17

erarchy of needs

Maslow also states that it is impossible to satisfy the needs in the hierarchy without a suitableenvironment and opportunities to growth for further personal development (Schunk, Pintrich

& Meece 2008:173). A suitable environment is a place that is safe enough to secure further personal development and the satisfaction of the needs. Applying this theory to our research,

we believe that a studying environment, for example a university provides a surrounding with

a broader field of opportunities and potential to reach higher needs, than compared to in anon-studying environment. The emphasis will be on the four highest levels: safety needs,

belongingness and love needs, esteem needs and self-actualization.

s theory because we believe it is suitable in our research.Furthermore, we believe that deciding to study on a higher level will help the individual to

reach the abovementioned levels of needs step by step. Since our purpose with the paper is to

compare if there are any differences in motivational factors between Swedish andinternational students

cases. We will apply the safety needs to a question in our questionnaire of whether applyingto the university gives a feeling of security and stability, both today and in the future. The

third step in the hierarchy, belonging and love needs, refers to acceptance and respect inrelationships. We will use this as a measure to illustrate if applying to higher education is

influenced by the desire of fulfilling the third step. This could for example be that higher

third step it is possible to fulfil the fourth one. We believe that esteem needs inter alia








18

psychological well-being or feeling of self-worthy and status is a significant factor when

deciding whether or not to apply to a higher education. One example of this could be a belief that education leads to a higher wage in the future followed by a feeling of higher status in the

society. Higher education can also relate to a higher position in the working life and thereby

give the individual a better self-

self-actualization i.e. personal growth and reaching of fullest personal capacity. We believe

that the applying to higher education can also be driven by a goal of getting increasedknowledge and improve specific personal skills.

Although we believe that

criticism of it. The theory states that there is always a direct relationship between needs and

referenced to a need as the cause of the behaviour and, in turn, when someone has thesePintrich & Meece 2008:174).

In our research the model may be misleading since the order of the hierarchy is notnecessarily clear-cut and there may be other explanations than the abovementioned.

3.3 Expectancy theory The e xp ec t an c y t h e ory is based upon learning theories and motivation. It explains that

motivation for action is based on experience and expectations. (Miner, 2006:94-112) Thiscomplies with our beliefs and pre-understandings of the matter and therefore we have chosen

to use this theory in our research.

The creators of the mostly used concepts of the Exp ec t an c y t h e ory are Vroom and Porter and

Lawler (Miner, 2006:94).

Vroom discussed his concept of the Expectancy theory in Wor k and Mo t iva t ion (Miner 2006:95). He explained that the theory is based on three variables:

Valence

Expectancy

Instrumentality

(Miner 2006:97-98)

Vroom claimed that some goals and outcomes are more preferable than others. The variable,val e n ce , stated above, refers to our expected liking of these outcomes, a positive valence

meaning we prefer an outcome to be experienced rather than not to. The variable e xp ec t an c y refers to our belief of whether an increased effort will lead to enhanced performance or not.And finally, in st ru m e n t al i t y explains the probability of an effort resulting in an expected

outcome. (Miner 2006: 97-98)

expectancy theory, are related in

such way that all need to exist in order for motivation to occur: Motivation = Valence xExpectancy x Instrumentality (Miner 2006: 98).








19

As explained, Porter and Lawler have also made significant work on this theory. Porter and

Lawler bas e more variables into it(Miner 2006: 98), as can be seen in figure 3.3 (Porter Lawler Theory of Motivation, USA

1999). Also, their model explains the effects of the variables in the long run. For example,

they claim that an improved performance will result in higher self-esteem, which in the longrun will result in an increased e xp ec t an c y and thereby increased m o t iva t ion to effort. (Miner

2006: 99-100) This is in accordance with our practical pre-understandings of the topic. For example, we believe that if a person has achieved good results in their studies, this increases

his or her self-esteem, which in turn increase their e xp ec t an c y (the belief that increased effortwill lead to enhanced performance) and consequently may motivate them to continue studies

at a higher level of education.

Figure 3.3 Porter Lawler Theory of Motivation

important and because their model is more dynamic over time we have chosen to use this

As explained in the s c i e n t i f i c approa c h , we will base our research questions on the theories.

We will use the expectancy theory by analyzing how the incorporated variables of the modelappear in real life, and how they have affected the motivation to apply to a university.

However, critique has been aimed at the expectancy theory. For example, the theory assumesthat people aim to maximize outcome, which in reality is not always the case. Some people

may settle for less. Also, people sometimes act spontaneously on impulse without a specific

purpose, and not always in a calculative and well-thought-out manner as the expectancytheory claims. (Miner 2006: 105)

Furthermore, critique can be aimed at our u s e of this theory. The expectancy theory says very

little when the rewards of an effort are not so obvious and clear (Miner 2006: 107). So, sinceattending a university may not have explicit results, the use of the theory in our research can

be questioned. However, despite these weaknesses, tests have been made to support the theoryand conclude that it is credible (Miner 2006:107).








20

4. Practical Method

-Wh e r e w e hav e e xplain e d t h e c oll ec t ion o f da t a: s a m pling , a cce ss , qu e st ionnair e and

pro ce ss ing

4.1 SampleThere are two main types of sampling methods; probabili t y and non-probabili t y s a m pling (Bryman & Bell 2007:182). The choice of method depends on the purpose of the research(Holm & Krohn 1996:195). The purpose of our research is to describe the motivational factors

of the students at USBE and conclude possible differences between Swedish and international

students. Out of the two previously mentioned sampling methods, only probability samplingconducts a random selection (Bryman & Bell 2007:182). This means that every person of the

population must have an equal opportunity to be selected to participate in the research,thereby the sample will match the population accurately.

However, a probability sampling is more time consuming compared to a non-probability

sampling method. Due to our limited timeframe and financial resources, we consider the non-

probability sampling method to be the only possible alternative for our collection of data.Even though we are aware of the fact that the method contains certain limitations and is not

able to generalise the findings, we are going to conduct the non-probability sampling. But theintention of the research is not to generalise the findings since it would provide an inaccurate

measurement because the sample is not randomly selected. Instead we want to conclude themotivational factors for the students in the sample.

The non-probability sampling method is a term used in order to describe all forms of samplingthat are not conducted according to the probability sampling (Bryman and Bell 2007:182).

According to Bryman and Bell (2007) there are three types of non-probability methods;c onv e ni e n ce s a m pling , s nowball s a m pling and quo t a s a m pling . None of these methods will

result in a random sample, however, we believe that the method that will bring the mostreliable data and a sample as close to a random as possible, is a quota sampling method. We

believe this because a quota sample consists of different categories, where the size of thecategories reflects the same proportion as in the population (Bryman & Bell 2007:197-202).

Since we have two different categories to compare, Swedish and international students, we

have decided to use a quota sampling method. The reason for choosing neither snowball nor convenience sampling is that these two methods do not take proportionality into considerationand are therefore not as reliable as quota sampling.

100 students have participated in our research by answering our questionnaire. As previously

explained, the proportions of the categories in the sample are the same as the proportions in

the population. The number of students studying at USBE is around 1500. Of these, about 30 percent are international students. Consequently, 30 percent of the respondents in our research

are international (Admission office Umeå University 2010, 22nd

March)

4.2 Selection

As explained, we will compare motivational factors between Swedish and internationalstudents at USBE. Therefore, our questionnaires had to be distributed to both types of








21

students at that faculty, without any regard to sex or age etc. To make sure we would come in

contact with these students we visited two English-speaking lectures for USBE students,where we asked the teachers to hand out the questionnaires. As previously mentioned, 30

percent of the questionnaires were given to international students and 70 percent to Swedish.

When we chose the sample size we took both time and cost as well as the degree of precision

into consideration. Because we wanted the sample to be fairly accurate and similar to the population and since we had limited resources we thought that a sample size of 100

participants was appropriate. Also, this fitted our time frame.

4.3 QuestionnaireWe chose to use a questionnaire because we believed it to be convenient when there are many

individuals included in a sample. Also, we found it suitable because of our limited time frameand resources at hand.

We have used a s e l f - c o m pl e t ion qu e st ionnair e in order to collect the data for the research. Aself-completion questionnaire is a form of data collection where participants are answering

the questionnaire themselves without any interference of the researchers (Bryman and Bell2007:198). As mentioned, we asked a teacher to hand out the questionnaires in two USBE

classes. Critique can be aimed at this method. For example we had to limit our amount of questions so that respondents bothered to answer them. Too, a self-completion questionnaire

may result in lower response rates, which can lead to bias in the findings. (Bryman and Bell2007:242-243)

Since we are conducting a quantitative research we formed the questionnaire to give usmeasurable information. Hence, we had to ask questions that gave us quantifiable answers,

rather than in depth knowledge of why students are motivated.

We based our questions on the previously mentioned theories; goal s e tt ing t h e ory , hi e ra r c hy o f n ee d s and e xp ec t an c y t h e ory . We connected the variables included in the theories

to potential reasons for applying to an institute of higher education. Doing so, we formed anidea of the potential motivational factors for prospective students. We listed these factors in

the questionnaire for the respondents to value, on a scale from 1-7, how much they were

motivated by them. Thereby, we received quantifiable results. Seven meant that it affected the decision to study at an institute of higher education very much. One meant that it did

not affect the students at all.

We put much effort into this questionnaire. We made sure that all questions were relevant and

easy to understand and that it did not include too many questions. In other words, we wantedthe questionnaire to be user-friendly in order to receive a high response rate. We reached our

aim and all questions were answered. 4.4 AccessDifficulties may appear when using a questionnaire to collect the data. For example people

might not have the time or will to answer. However, in our case, all students participatingwere willing to help us by answering our questionnaire. Thus, we had good access to the

information needed.








22

4.5 Processing

When evaluating the collected data from the questionnaire we chose to use computer softwareto analyse our data. One of the reasons for using computer software when analysing

quantitative data is that this method is more similar to how a real research is conductednowadays (Bryman & Bell 2007:376). We used Microsoft Excel software in order to conduct

diagrams of the collected data, this to facilitate the analysis of our findings. Since one of the

aims of our research is to analyse the relationship between two variables and to get acomprehensive overview of the data, we decided to show our findings in a bar graph.

5. Empirical Findings

When analysing our findings we became surprised of some results, which did not match our expectations and beliefs. Over all the motivational factors of the students were rather similar.

However, we thought the difference between the two groups would be greater than what our data showed us. In order to compare these we created a diagram in Microsoft Excel.

Figure 5.1

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

International Students

Swedish students








23

The diagram above shows the motivational factors suggested in the questionnaire and how the

students have ranked their importance in their decision of whether or not to apply to aninstitute of higher education.

As can be observed from the diagram above, students at USBE are a fairly homogenous groupeven though students come from different countries. Both similarities and differences between

Swedish and international students can be seen in the diagram. It should be noted that most of the international respondents were from Asia, which makes the concept in t e rna t ional st ud e n t misleading.

Even though the diagram above provides a comprehensive overview of the motivational

factors of the students we find it necessary to explain each of the factor and describe in which

categories the Swedish and international students are similar and different. The reasoning below is entirely based on figure 5.1.

The first factor brought up in our questionnaire concerned the question of whether studentsattend an institute of higher education because they want to obtain a certain profession in the

future. As can be observed, both Swedish and international students are motivated to attendhigher education because they wanted to obtain a certain profession in the future. The

difference in this category between Swedish and international students is small, almostnonexistent. The mean value for the Swedish students is 5,8 and 6,0 for the international

students. These figures did not come as a surprise, since we thought that both Swedish and

international students would be motivated to obtain a certain profession.

The second motivational factor concerns whether the students want to obtain a higher salaryin the future. The diagram reveals that this factor is essential for both groups. This complies

with our pre-understandings. The mean value for the Swedish students is 5,9 and 6,3 for theinternational students, which is the highest mean value for both groups.

The third motivational factor in our questionnaire stated the question of whether studentsattend higher education because they wanted to increase their knowledge of a certain subject.

Even though increasing knowledge is important for both Swedish and international students,the results were rather different. The mean value for the Swedish students in this category is

5,4 and 5,8 for the international. This concludes that the international students consider thegain of knowledge to be of greater importance when applying to a higher education.

The fourth suggested reason gave us the most unexpected result in our research. This questionregards of whether students attend an institute of higher education because they could not find

a job. The mean value for the Swedish students is 1,8 and for the international it is 2,2. To us,the most surprising result is how low impact the shortage of jobs had for the Swedish

students, since the financial crisis has made it difficult for young people to find a job. Toconclude, the financial crisis and the shortage of jobs was no t a major reason for the high

number of applications to institutes of higher education.

Another factor we took into consideration when conducting our questionnaire was pressurefrom parents. Since Sweden is a relatively individualistic society compare to, for example








24

many Asian cultures, we thought that Swedish student would feel less pressure from parents

compared to the international students. This believes was then confirmed by our questionnaire. However, the difference was not distinct. The mean value for Swedish students

is 2,8 and for international students it is 3,4.

Another question was if friends had an effect on the decision whether or not to apply.

International students were more affected by their friends than Swedish students. The meanvalue of the Swedish students is 2,5 and for the international students it is 2,9.

One of the factors that had a large imp decision to apply to higher

education was that it would easier to find a job with an education. These results were in

accordance with our pre-understandings. This was the second most important factor, after

higher salary. The mean value for the Swedish students is 6,1 and for the internationalstudents the mean value is 5, 9. It shows that higher education is seen to make it easier to finda job and almost all of the students in our sample thought that this criterion was very

important in the decision to attend higher education.

We also asked the students if they attended an institute of higher education because itcontributes to a higher status. This was one of the factors where the difference between

Swedish and international students was the largest. The factor of higher status had a greater impact on the decision to attend higher education for the international students. The mean

value is 5,3, which can be compared to the Swedish students mean value of 4,4. Due to the

large difference of this result, we think that it is one of the most interesting results in our research. The disparity concerning the status aspect of attending higher education has many

causes but we think that the Swedish culture is one of the strongest factors that contribute tothe Swedish non-status philosophy. We th

non-status philosophy among Swedish students. It basically says that you should not think that you are more special or better than someone else. Another aspect, which can be seen to

have an impact on the status motive, is the tuition fee. Since it is free of charge to study in

Sweden, everyone is able to attend higher education, which could be seen as a factor thatdecreases the status of an education because everyone can afford to study no matter of their

income.

As mentioned above, no tuition fee is required in Sweden but in order to be able to attendhigher education the students have to meet certain standards and have the grades that are

required to attend an education. Because of this we had a question that concerned how the

students had performed in their studies before attending higher education, since we wanted toinvestigate if stgrades were more likely to be motivated to apply to a

higher education. The result was clear, almost all of the students in our sample had received

The factor that showed the largest difference between Swedish and international students was

how the cost of studying. We think that the disparity can be connected to the cost of education. As mentioned above, it is free of charge to study in Sweden and students are

entitled to student grants together with the possibility to receive a student loan. Because of this the Swedish students do not have to be concerned of their financial situation during the








25

period of study and thereby it may not have an impact on the decision. Almost all of the

international students in our sample had to pay a tuition fee for attending higher education andthis had a large impact on the decision to study. This can be seen in the diagram where the

Swedish students have a relatively low mean value compared to the international students.

6. Analysis and conclusionAs mentioned in probl e m ba ck ground , we believed that one of the reasons the number of applicants had increased the last years was the financial crisis and the cutbacks on the labour

market. We thought that these cutbacks and consequently unemployment, had led to anincrease in the number of applicants to universities. Because we wanted to analyse if this

actually had an e motivation, we incorporated the factor into our questionnaire. The empirical findings proved us wrong. As can be seen in figure 5.1, the mean

value for both Swedish and international students was around two, which indicates that this

hardly affected the decision. However, we are aware that the findings from our sample cannot be generalised or exclude the idea that the number of applicants increased due to the

recession.

Another assumption we had, which also is stated in probl e m ba ck ground , is that the cost for attending higher education is a highly affecting factor in the decision of whether or not to

apply. The empirical findings support our pre-understandings. All of the Swedish students placed a number between one and three on this factor, and, of course, they stated that

education in their home country is free of charge. However, all, except one, internationalstudents placed a number between five and seven on this motivational factor. Also, all of these students stated that there was a cost for education in their home country. In other words,

if there is a tuition fee for higher education, this will have a big impact on the decision of whether or not to apply to an institute of higher education.

As explained, the participants also had to value the success of their previous studies. 48

percent of the Swedish and international students ranked their previous study results as a sixor seven. The mean value for these students was slightly above five, meaning that they believe

their previous studies have been rather successful. The students also valued their self-esteem

to be fairly high. The mean value for both Swedish and international students was around 5,5.

Though, a substantially higher percent of the international students valued their self-esteem to be v e ry high. Nearly 60 percent of the international students, compared to 40 percent of theSwedish students, valued their self-esteem to be a six or seven.

As previously mentioned, in t h e ory , we believe that the expectancy theory can explain howthe self-esteem and the success of previous studies can affect the decision to attend higher

education. As Miner (2006) explains, Porter and Lawler claimed that an improved performance would result in higher self-esteem, which in the long run would result in an

increased e xp ec t an c y (the belief that increased effort will lead to enhanced performance) andthereby increased m o t iva t ion for effort (Miner 2006 99-100). We believe that this connection

can be observed in our empirical findings. As can be seen in figure 5.1 the mean value for the

s u cce ss o f pr e viou s st udi e s is higher than the mean value of Swedishstudents. Also, the mean v s e l f - e st ee m , in c r e a s e d e ff or t will








26

l e ad t o e nhan ce d p e r f or m an ce and willingn e ss t o wor k hard f or a c hi e ving goal s , is higher

than that of Swedish students. These findings are in accordance with the expectancy theoryand comply with the idea that self-esteem and previously good performances will lead to a

higher expectancy and thereby greater motivation for effort (Miner 2006:99-100).

Furthermore, the connection between successful studies, self-esteem and motivation to study,

appeared in a study presented in the article Mo t iva t ion t o S t udy in High e r Edu c a t ion: ACo m pari s on b e t w ee n G e r m any and Gr e a t Br i t ain (Loeber & Higson 2009). In this study, the

researchers could prove that above-average students in Britain were more likely than below-average students to continue studies at a university (Loeber & Higson 2009). However, as

explained in Choi ce o f s ec ondary s our ce s and Cri t i c i s m o f s our ce s , the results in this study

are not to be generalized. Though, we do believe this can apply to other contexts.

We also asked the research participants to value to which degree the wish to work within acertain profession affected their decision of whether or not to attend an institute of higher

education. As previously mentioned, Locke, and his goal setting theory, claimed that peoplewere more driven by goals that were challenging and specific, rather than easy and vague

(Schunk, Pintrich & Meece 2008:143). We believe that the wish to obtain a certain professionis a relatively specific goal. So, we wanted to compare our findings with this theory and test if

it was applicable in our research. In other words, we wanted to see if those students whowanted to obtain a certain profession were willing to work harder to reach their goals.

We compared the mean value between the students who had ranked ob t ain a ce r t ain pro f e ss ion as a highly contributing factor with those that placed a lower number on this factor,

and analysed if there were significant differences in their willingn e ss t o wor k hard f or goal s . However, our findings did not comply with setting theory. Our empirical

evidence showed no significant difference in m o t iva t ion t o wor k hard f or goal s between thestudents that had ranked the factor ob t ain a ce r t ain pro f e ss ion as highly influential, and those

who had ranked it as less influential. However, we understand that this cannot refute

theory.

As can be seen in graph 5.1, out of the stated motivational factors in the questionnaire, anin c r e a s e d s alary in t h e f u t ur e is the greatest affecting factor. The wish to receive a higher

goal can be situated on both the second step: s a f e t y n ee d s and on the fourth step: e st ee m n ee d s . A higher salary can provide a feeling of security and stability and also a feeling of

achievement and success in life.

As mentioned in the Choi ce o f s ec ondary s our ce s and Cri t i c i s m o f s our ce s we used the articleTh e Inv e st m e n t Mo t iv e by Michael B. Tannen to further enhance our understanding of our

research subject. Tannen demonstrated that the financial profitability of attending collegeaffects the enrolment rates (Michael B Tannen 1978). He claimed he had evidence to support

the investment and consumption motive for attending college (Michael B Tannen 1978). Inother words, he claimed that students who attend college expect financial profitability from

their studies. We wanted to incorporate this theory into our research. We believe that, if thistheory is valid, it is applicable on the international students in our research. We find this








27

possible because, similarly to the stu international students in

our study have to pay for their education. Hence, we believe that these students consider financial profitability to be of greater importance than Swedish students. Therefore, we

compared if the students in our research who paid for higher education, like those

study, had ranked a high e r s alary in t h e f u t ur e as a more important motivational factor,compared to the Swedish students, who do not need to pay a tuition fee. Our empirical

evidence confirmed that international students, who pay to attend an institute of higher education, had ranked a high e r s alary in t h e f u t ur e as more influential in the decision than the

Swedish students. However, as previously stated, our sample is not to be generalised, hencewe cannot conclude any general causal connections between the tuition fee and the desire to

obtain a higher salary in the future.

The desire to learn more about a certain subject was also highly ranked by both Swedish and

S e l f -a c t uali s a t ion is the highest level of the hierarchy and can only be reached after the

previous levels have been fulfilled .We believe that the will to learn about a specific subject isclosely linked to this level of the hierarchy. As previously explained, personal growth and the

striving to reach the maximum personal capacity belong to the s e l f -a c t uali s a t ion level(Schunk, Pintrich & Meece 2008:173). We consider that the will to acquire knowledge about

a specific subject i s personal growth and development.

Our empirical evidence shows that international students are more affected by pr e ss ur e f ro m par e n ts compared to the Swedish students. According to the goal-setting theory a personcannot be fully committed to reach a goal if it is not an individual goal, in other words a goal

that is the wishes of someone else (Bloisi et al. 2007: 241). We wanted to test if this wasvisible in our findings. Therefore, we compared the motivation from willingn e ss t o wor k hard f or goal s between those students who were affected highly by pressure from parents withthose who were not as affected. The mean value for the willingn e ss t o wor k hard f or goal s of

the students that were highly affected by the parental pressure was 5,5 while the mean value

of the other students was 4,

However, we realise that the empirical evidence from our sample is not strong enough to

refute the theory.

We believe thatc

ul t

ur e

is a possible explanation for the fact that the international students inour sample consider the pressure from parents as a more affecting factor in the decision of

whether or not to apply to an institute of higher education. We believe that one of the

explanations can be found in the article Cro ss -Cul t ural Di ff e r e n ce s in t h e Ac ad e m i c Mo t iva t ion o f Univ e r s i t y S t ud e n ts in Malay s ia and t h e Uni t e d S t a t e s by Komarraju, Karau &

Ramayah (2007). They claim that, parental pressure concerning education is often high inmany Asian cultures. (Komarraju, Karau & Ramayah 2007) Since the majority of our

international applicants were students from Asia, we believe that Kommarraju, Karau and

the pressure from parents to be of greater impact than for Swedish students. Furthermore, thearticle explains that many Asian cultures are more collectivistic, than those of for example

Western European countries (Kommarraju, Karau & Ramayah 2007). The authors explain thatthis makes Asian students place a higher value on the reputation of their family than students








28

from Western Europe may do. Therefore many Asian students attend higher education and

strive to perform well only to enhance the reputation of their family.

The pressure from parents to continue education on a higher level can also be connected to

of needs: b e longingn e ss and lov e n ee d s . This level includes family relationships and

affection. So, an individual may continue to an institute of higher education to get approvalfrom his or her parents. One other of the motivational factors that can be connected to this s is t h e in f lu e n ce f ro m f ri e nd s .

friends have or intend to apply to a higher level of education one can feel the desire to

experience belongingness with this group of people. However, the influence from friends was

not of great importance in our sample and the mean value for both international and Swedish

students was slightly below three.

One of the questions that were asked in the questionnaire was to which extent the respondent

was motivated by the belief of getting a job more easily in the future. We think this factor provides a feeling of safety, stability and security. This can be connected to the second level

of Masl S a f e t y n ee d s . Of the stated motivational factors in thequestionnaire, the criteria of getting a job more easily had the second highest mean value,

which was around six. This is a high number, which indicates that the respondents valued thisfactor to be highly influential.

Among our respondents, high e r s o c ia l st a t u s was also ranked as an important factor. Themean value for this factor among Swedish students was around 4,5 and 5,5 for international

students. The will to achieve a higher social status can be connected to the fourth level of e st ee m n ee d s , which is concerned with the needs for

achievement, status and reputation (Schunk, Pintrich, Meece 2008:173).

As previously mentioned, the article Cro ss -Cul t ural Di ff e r e n ce s in t h e Ac ad e m i c Mo t iva t ion o f Univ e r s i t y S t ud e n ts in Malay s ia and t h e Uni t e d S t a t e s by Komarraju, Karau & Ramayah(2007) claim that, many Asian cultures are more collectivistic, than those of western

European countries (Kommarraju, Karau & Ramayah 2007). The authors explain that thismakes Asian students more concerned with the social aspects of success in education, like for

instance social status (Kommarraju, Karau & Ramayah 2007). Since the majority of our international respondents were from Asia this theory may be an explanation for why the

international students ranked social status as more important than Swedish students.

To sum up, the motivational factors that were ranked to be the most influential were in c r e a s e d s alary and e a s i e r t o f ind a job , while the least influential were c ould no t f ind a job and f ri e nd s a tt e nd univ e r s i t y . In general, the findings did not surprise us, except from the results of the

factor c ould no t f ind a job . As discussed in probl e m ba ck ground we believed that therecession from the financial crisis and the cutbacks on the labour market would have led to an

increased enrolment, which would have been more visible in the empirical findings.

Although the results were not that unexpected we still believed that factors related to the person itself, like for instance, high e r st a t u s and in c r e a s e d k nowl e dg e would have been








29

valued higher. This in accordance with the results in the article Th e inv e st m e n t m o t iv e f or

a tt e nding c oll e g e by Michael B. Tannen (Tannen 1978). In his research, Tannen explains thatthe most influential factors to attend university in Germany and Great Brittan are related to

the person itself. Instead, in our case it was the job related factors, e a s i e r t o f ind a job , in c r e a s e d s alary and ob t ain s a ce r t ain pro f e ss ion that gave the highest results.

Our empirical findings showed that the largest difference in motivational factors is thee du c a t ion c o st . We expected the outcome to bring out distinct differences between Swedish

and international s

differences in the educational cost systems between Sweden and the countries of the

international students. While Sweden is one of the few countries in the world that offer

education free of charge, most other countries have a mandatory tuition fee.

Moreover, the results from the questionnaire did not show as significant differences as weexpected. We believed that bigger differences would have occurred, for example in the resultsof in c r e a s e d s alary . Due to the fact that Sweden has a highly developed welfare system

compared to many other countries we think that the international students would value ahigher salary in the future as more important.

Our purpose of the research paper is to analyse the sources to motivation in the decision to

attend higher education, for both Swedish and international students at USBE. Also, tocompare and describe possible differences between these two groups. We believe that we

have accomplished the purpose by distinguishing the essential motivational factors and

comparing them between Swedish and international students in the sample taken from thestudents of USBE. Furthermore, if we were to carry out future research within this field, it

would be interesting to conduct an extended research with more variables included. Also, wewould specify the groups to be compared and use a random sampling method in order to find

a representative sample of the population and be able to generalise the findings.

7. Truth criteriaIn order to evaluate the results of a business research, three different criteria can be used:r e liabili t y , r e pli c a t ion and validi t y (Bryman & Bell 2007:201). R e liabili t y deals with the

question whether the results of a study are repeatable. The second criterion is R e pli c a t ion ,

which states that other researchers should be able to replicate and use our findings in their research. The last criterion used to evaluate a research is Validi t y , which deals with whether or not a measure reflects what it intends to measure (Bryman & Bell 2007:201). But the criteria

should be applied in different ways for different research strategies and since we were

conducting a quantitative research we had to take these rules into consideration whenevaluating the research.

We think that the reliability of our research is fairly strong, especially the internal reliability

which states that a respondents score on one indicator should be related to the scores on theother indicator (Bryman & Bell 2007:163). Since we collected our data from questionnaires

we were able to answers were related to each other. For example if

the respondents thought that it was important to obtain a certain profession after graduationthey should also want to increase their knowledge of a certain subject since these two factors








30

are related. Based on our data we can con answers are related

to other answers and therefore we think that the internal reliability is fairly strong. Since the purpose of the research is not to generalise, the external validity is not an important criterion.

But we think that the stability of our research contains some weaknesses because our sample

was not chosen randomly and therefore it is possible that we get another result if we wouldconduct a second research.

Another criterion which we have to take into consideration when evaluating the research is

validity, especially face validity that questions whether the measure truly reflects the conceptthat it intends to measure (Bryman & Bell 2007:165). We think that this criterion is important

and therefore we asked both students and professors what they considered about the content

of the questionnaires before we distributed it to the respondents. This because we wanted to

make sure that the indicators indicated what they were supposed to indicate and that everyonewould understand the questions. Therefore we think that the validity of the research is strongand our indicators are trustworthy.

The third criterion used to evaluate business research is replication and we think that other

researchers are able to replicate our findings, since we have described our research processand stated our assumptions.








31

8. References

Internet sourcesEkonomifakta, 18.02.10, cited 13 April 2010,

http://www.ekonomifakta.se/sv/Fakta/Arbetsmarknad/Arbetsloshet/Arbetsloshet/

Ministry of education, 10.09.09, cited 14 April 2010http://www.regeringen.se/sb/d/11325/a/131230

Ministry of education, 20.03.10 cited 19 April 2010http://www.hsv.se/densvenskahogskolan/sveengordbok/termer/h/helarsstudent.4.8f0e4c9119e2b4a60c800027330.html

Model of high performance cycle, USA September 2002, image, American psychologist, cited

on 18 April 2010, http://faculty.washington.edu/janegf/goalsetting.html

Porter Lawler Theory of Motivation, USA 1999, image, North-eastern Illinois University,cited 16 April, http://www.neiu.edu/~aserafin/421/motivation/aMotivation/sld006.htm

2008, image, Ontario Ministry of agriculture

food and rural affairs, cited 20 April 2010

http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/rural/facts/96-001.htm

Swedish Television, 26.02.08, cited 15 April 2010http://svt.se/svt/jsp/Crosslink.jsp?d=73925&a=1067867&from=tipsa

The Local 01.03.10, cited 19 April 2010 http://www.thelocal.se/25276/20100301/

Journals

Komarraju M, Karau S and Ramayah T, (2007), Cro ss -Cul t ural di ff e r e n ce s in t h e a c ad e m i c m o t iva t ion o f univ e r s i t y st ud e n ts in Malay s ia and t h e Uni t e d S t a t e s , North American Journal

of psychology, Vol. 9, No. 2,

Locke E and Latham G, (2002) Building a Pra c t i c ally U s e f ul Th e ory o f Goal S e tt ing and Ta s k Mo t iva t ion , American Psychologist, Vol. 57, No. 9

Loeber S and Higson H, (2009 ) , Mo t iva t ion t o S t udy in High e r Edu c a t ion: A Co m pari s on b e t w ee n G e r m any and Gr e a t Br i t ain , Higher Education in Europe, Vol. 34, No. 3

Tannen M, (1978), THE INVE S TMENT MOTIVE F OR ATTENDING CO LLEG E , Industrial

and Labor Relations Review, Vol. 31, No. 4

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