The growth trajectory of college students' academic amotivation and its association with cardiorespiratory fitness and meaning in life

Academic amotivation stems from different classes of reasons in school. Using the amotivation taxonomy that comprises four types of motivational deficits (i.e., deficient ability beliefs, effort beliefs, academic values, and unappealing task characteristics), we designed this study to examine developmental patterns in academic amotivation among early-stage college students and how cardiorespiratory fitness and meaning in life related to the growth trajectories. 488 students reported amotivation at the beginning, middle, and end of a semester while their cardiorespiratory fitness and meaning in life were evaluated at the semester start. Multi-indicator latent growth models revealed that all types of motivational deficits increased over time. Insufficient academic values appeared to increase steeper than other amotivation dimensions while cardiorespiratory fitness buffered the enhancement of motivational deficits in ability and effort. Integration of a broad ecological framework including health may potentially enrich our theoretical understanding of academic amotivation. Educational relevance statement: Understanding amotivation during early stage of college is important for academic and personal development. We find evidence of average increases in students' amotivation due to deficient ability beliefs, effort beliefs, academic values, and unappealing task characteristics. Associations of amotivation with gender, cardiorespiratory fitness, and meaning in life provide insights with the design of cohesive learning environments to minimize amotivation and support personal development. Integration of a broad ecological framework including health may potentially enrich our theoretical understanding of academic amotivation/ motivation.