Exploring Perceptions of Students’ Academic Motivation by University Professors - A Qualitative Study

Background: Motivation is the key factor for success and welfare. It is a pre-requisite in the process of teaching-learning and a factor in academic growth. Objectives: The purpose of the present research is to convey the experiences of medical sciences professors on the educational motivations of students in universities of medical sciences. Methods: The research was carried out in 2017 in Iran. A purposive sampling method was used and continued until theoretical saturation of data. Sixteen professors and Ph.D. students with teaching experience in medical schools participated. Data was collected with in-depth and semi-structured interviews. All the participants were asked at least two of the following open questions: “What is your understanding of the motivation or lack of motivation for student learning?”, “Which factors are effective in motivation learning?”, and “Which strategies have you used to promote student motivation in learning?” The conventional content analysis approach was used for data analysis. Validity, acceptance, confirmation and transmission criteria were used for correctness and solidity of data. Results: By analyzing the transcriptions of interviews, the four main themes of educational motivation for students were determined as “communication between teacher and student”, “characteristic traits of trainer and leaner”, “Importance of motivation in the teaching and learning process” and “educational skills”. Conclusions: Based on the research findings, professors expressed that the students’ educational motivations were not satisfactory and educational and training programs in universities needed improvement. They also emphasized on the teachers’ abilities and training skills in sciences for effective communication between teacher and student.