Difficulties in Emotion Regulation: A Barrier to Academic Motivation and Performance

Abstract

Universalization of is a great thought by countries for enhancing quality of life of individuals. Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (Education for All movement) in India is one of such efforts to increase enrolment in schools by providing convenient and incentive based environment to children to make them educated and healthy members of society. Such programmes are doing well in achieving their time bound goals. But for educationalist, problems are still rising as gap between successful and failure students in schools is increasing day by day. Educationalists are working hard to explore factors related to academic success and failure. Various psychological, social and environment related factors have been found to be associated with academic achievement of students and more factors are still being explored. But as they attempt to investigate what determines academic outcomes of learners, they have come with more questions than answers. Among other factors, Academic motivation is one of variables that have been focus of many studies and has been found to be consistent significant predictor of academic performance.Several researchers have suggested that only motivation directly affects academic achievement; all other factors affect achievement only through their effect on motivation (Tucker, Zayco, & Herman, 2002). Academic motivation refers to cognitive, emotional, and behavioral indicators of student investment in and attachment to education (Tucker et al., 2002, p. 477). It is obvious that students who are not motivated to succeed will not work hard. However, it is difficult to understand what motivates students. Numerous studies have been conducted on this topic, which has led to development of several theories of motivation. SelfDetermination Theory states that students need to feel a sense of competence, a sense of relatedness to others, and a sense of autonomy (Anderman & Midgley, 1997). Competence involves not just having knowledge to complete various tasks, but also believing that one can do so. Relatedness refers to connections that are formed with one's peers. Autonomy is a kind of urge to initiate and regulate one's tasks. These needs are more relevant to adolescence since children at this age are developing a sense of identity and have increased cognitive abilities (Anderman & Midgley, 1997).Graham (1997) asserts that basic principles of attribution theory provide a framework for understanding reasons people attribute their academic success and failures. Graham added that those reasons could be ability, effort, luck, help or hindrance from others. On other hand, Deci, Vallerand, Pelletier, & Ryan(1991)maintain that behaviour is either intrinsically or extrinsically motivated or demotivated.Intrinsic motivation is inherent tendency to seek out novelty and challenges, to extend and exercise one's capacities, to explore, and to learn (Ryan and Deci, 2000). Students' enjoyment when they learn new things is an example of intrinsic motivation. On other hand, extrinsic motivation refers to the performance of an activity in orderte attain some separable outcome (Ryan & Deci, 2000, p.71). For example, people act in a certain way because their behaviours are valued by significant others to whom they are attached (Ryan & Deci, 2000). A student who does an assignment for teacher's praise or to avoid parental confrontation is externally regulated (Deci et al., 1991). The last type of motivation is amotivation which is defined as state of lacking intention to act. When people are demotivated, people either do not act at all or act without intent. Amotivation behaviours are least autonomous because there is no expectation of reward or change of events. Vallerand et al. (1992) mentioned that amotivation is lowest level of autonomy continuum where demotivated individuals are neither intrinsically nor extrinsically motivated. …