Why children differ in motivation to learn Insights from over 13,000 twins from 6 countries

• Published in: Personality and individual differences Vol. 80; no. 80; pp. 51 - 63
• Main Authors: Kovas, Yulia, Garon-Carrier, Gabrielle, Boivin, Michel, Petrill, Stephen A, Plomin, Robert, Malykh, Sergey, Spinath, Frank M, Murayama, Kou, Ando, Juko, Bogdanova, Olga, Brendgen, Mara, Dionne, Ginette, Forget-Dubois, Nadine, Galajinsky, Eduard V, Gottschling, Juliana, Guay, Frédéric, Lemelin, Jean-Pascal, Logan, Jessica A.r, Yamagata, Shinji, Shikishima, Chizuru, Spinath, Birgit, Thompson, Lee A, Tikhomirova, Tatiana N, Tosto, Maria G, Tremblay, Richard, Vitaro, Frank
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01.07.2015; Pergamon Press
• Subjects: Cross-cultural study; Deutschland; Differenz; Enjoyment; Fragebogen; Freude; Großbritannien; Individual differences; Individuum; Internationaler Vergleich; Japan; Jugendlicher; Kanada; Kind; Kompetenz; Leistungsmotivation; Motivation; Russland; Schulfach; Schüler; Selbstwahrnehmung; Self-perceived ability; Teacher/classroom effect; Twin studies; Umfrage; Ursachenforschung; USA; Zwilling; Teacher/classroom effect; Self-perceived ability; Twin studies; Enjoyment; Cross-cultural study; Individual differences

Little is known about why people differ in their levels of academic motivation. This study explored the etiology of individual differences in enjoyment and self-perceived ability for several school subjects in nearly 13,000 twins aged 9-16 from 6 countries. The results showed a striking consistency...