Impact of Students’ Motivation on Learning Effectiveness: Mediating Effect of Effort (Study of Undergraduates in Sri Lankan State Universities)

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of students’ motivation on learning effectiveness of undergraduates in Sri Lankan State Universities. This study was carried out as quantitative explanatory research. Further, the sample was selected using simple random sampling technique. This is a cross sectional study & standard questionnaire was used to collect primary data through a survey. Questionnaires were distributed to a sample of 260 of undergraduates. To analyze data, SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Science) was used. To interpret data graphical charts, descriptive statistical techniques such as mean, mode, standard deviation and histograms, correlation and coefficient, simple regression analysis and Sobel test were used. To test the relationship between variables Pearson correlation analysis was used. Simple regression analysis was used to identify the degree of the impact of the independent variable on dependent variable. And it was found that there is a significant moderate positive impact of students’ motivation on learning effectiveness. To test the mediating effect Sobel test was used. It was found that effort has a partial mediation in the relationship between students’ motivation and learning effectiveness. The present study would provide the direction to university administrators, academic staff and undergraduates.