BEYOND THE MERIT TRAP: INTRINSIC MOTIVATION AS THE MEDIATOR BETWEEN STUDENT AGENCY AND ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN PAKISTANI HIGHER EDUCATION
Keywords:
Student Agency, Intrinsic Motivation, Academic Performance, Higher Education, Pakistan, Self-Determination TheoryAbstract
This correlational study investigated the relationship between student agency, intrinsic motivation, and academic performance among 150 undergraduate and postgraduate students (N = 150) at a public sector university in Pakistan. Data were collected using the Academic Self-Regulation Questionnaire (SRQ-A) and Academic Motivation Scale (AMS). Pearson correlations revealed significant positive relationships between student agency and academic performance (r = .42, p < .001), intrinsic motivation and academic performance (r = .41, p < .001), and student agency and intrinsic motivation (r = .68, p < .001). Mediation analysis confirmed that intrinsic motivation partially mediates the relationship between agency and performance. Regression analysis demonstrated that psychological factors (agency and motivation) explained significantly more variance in university performance (R² = .20) than prior Intermediate scores (R² = .04). The study challenges the "merit trap" in Pakistani higher education, suggesting that fostering learner autonomy and intrinsic interest is more viable than relying solely on past metrics.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Syed Saddam Hussain Shah, Malaika Sabir, Ms. Raumish Masud Khan (Author)
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