Abstract
This thesis is an examination of the role of motivation in attitudes to university among secondary school children, within the context of widening participation for disadvantaged pupils. The aims of the thesis were to understand how particular constructs within motivation theory are related to both aspirations and expectations of university attendance, and to investigate how such constructs may act as a means of changing university attitudes following widening participation intervention. The research aims are addressed across six empirical chapters through: analysis of cross-sectional data of pupils’ motivation using constructs drawn from self-determination theory, expectancy-value-cost theory, reading motivation, and pupils’ university attitudes; evaluation of three widening participation interventions using motivational theory; and finally a qualitative study of widening participation students who successfully reached university, and the factors they found to be of greatest support. Findings indicate that aspirations are higher than expectations among school pupils, and constructs from motivational theory are predictive of university attitudes but their predictive capacities are not homogenous. Although effects of motivation change upon university attitudes following intervention were limited to qualitative evidence in this thesis, specific motivational constructs such as expectancy beliefs and value, and intrinsic goal setting may be particularly useful for widening participation to incorporate in to intervention planning and evaluation to support both aspirations and expectations of university attendance among secondary school pupils.