Date of Submission

2012

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Department

Psychology

Department Chair

Robert A DiThomaso, PhD, ABPP

First Advisor

Lisa Hain, PsyD, Chairperson

Second Advisor

George McCloskey, PhD

Third Advisor

Dr Amy Pobst

Abstract

The present study investigated the relationship between academic motivation and executive function skills through teacher reports of prototypical students, perceived to lack motivation. Second, the study examined the effect of grade level (i.e., elementary, middle, high) on both teacher-perceived academic motivation and executive function skills for these prototypical students. It was hypothesized that there were significant relationships between executive function processes and academic motivation. It was also hypothesized that due to the decline in academic engagement during adolescence, middle school and high school teachers would perceive higher levels of executive dysfunction and deficits in academic motivation than would elementary teachers. The study used archival data from the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF) and the Motivation subscale of the Academic Competence Evaluation Scales (ACES) completed by teachers in an urban charter school during several faculty meetings. Statistically significant findings were obtained, indicating that teachers’ ratings of the executive function capacities of unmotivated students were consistent with the hypothesis that academic motivation and executive function skills are significantly correlated. Significant correlations were found between academic motivation and the areas of Shift, Emotional Control, the Behavioral Regulation Index, the Metacognition Index, and the Global Executive Composite scales of the BRIEF. Results of the analyses also reveal that high school teachers perceive higher levels of executive dysfunction than do elementary and middle school teachers in the areas of Plan/Organize, Organization of Materials, and on the Metacognition Index of the BRIEF. Additionally, high school teachers reported more significant executive function difficulties than elementary school teachers on the Shift, Initiate, Working Memory, Monitor, and Global Executive Composite scales of the BRIEF. Results supported the hypothesis that teacher perceived executive function skills decline as students age; however, motivational deficits did not change as a function of grade level.

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