ABSTRACT

Higher education students are required to demonstrate value beyond their curricula achievements to secure jobs in increasingly competitive labour markets. Focusing on extracurricular activities as one-way students can do so, this paper uses a motivation perspective to examine what drives students to engage in extracurricular activities, and how student motivation varies between early and late-stage students. We conducted 46 in-depth interviews with students in a post-92 widening-participation university and found that four motivations – extrinsic, intrinsic, social, and pro-social – explained extracurricular participation. The motivations varied across types of extracurricular activities; extrinsic motivation was prominent for employment, academic, society and volunteering extracurriculars; intrinsic and social motivations were vital for sports and societies; and pro-social motivation for academic, volunteering, and society extracurriculars. Moreover, we found important differences between the motivations of early-year and final-year students, suggesting that motivations vary across the university journey. Our paper contributes to the literature on extracurricular activities within higher education by providing new evidence on the motivations that propel students to engage in (different) activities in the current marketised higher education environment and by identifying the level of study as an important boundary condition shaping motivations for extracurricular participation.

摘要

高等教育学生需要展示其课程成就以外的价值，以在竞争日益激烈的劳动力市场中找到工作。本文以单向学生可以参加的课外活动为重点，从动机的角度研究是什么驱使学生参与课外活动，以及早期和晚期学生的学生动机有何不同。我们对一所 92 后广泛参与大学的学生进行了 46 次深度访谈，发现四种动机——外在、内在、社会和亲社会——解释了课外参与。不同类型的课外活动的动机各不相同；外在动机在就业、学业、社会和课外志愿活动中表现突出；内在动机和社会动机对体育和社会至关重要；学术、志愿服务和社会课外活动的亲社会动机。此外，我们发现早年和大四学生的动机之间存在重要差异，这表明动机在整个大学旅程中各不相同。我们的论文通过提供关于推动学生在当前市场化高等教育环境中参与（不同）活动的动机的新证据，并将学习水平确定为形成动机的重要边界条件，从而为高等教育课外活动的文献做出了贡献参加课外活动。我们发现早年和大四学生的动机之间存在重要差异，这表明动机在整个大学旅程中各不相同。我们的论文通过提供关于推动学生在当前市场化高等教育环境中参与（不同）活动的动机的新证据，并将学习水平确定为形成动机的重要边界条件，从而为高等教育课外活动的文献做出了贡献参加课外活动。我们发现早年和大四学生的动机之间存在重要差异，这表明动机在整个大学旅程中各不相同。我们的论文通过提供关于推动学生在当前市场化高等教育环境中参与（不同）活动的动机的新证据，并将学习水平确定为形成动机的重要边界条件，从而为高等教育课外活动的文献做出了贡献参加课外活动。