The crucial first year: The development of students' motivation at a Business School-a Mixed Methods Study

The transition from school to university can be overwhelming for some students. While students' motivation is considered a strong predictor of performance, the development of motivation during students' transition from high school to university has rarely been investigated. Additionally, little is known about the relation of motivational aspects with other influences on study performance. The present mixed methods study addresses this research gap and examines the development of economics students' study motivation. The longitudinal mixed-method study included three waves of data collected using quantitative surveys and a series of five interviews conducted with 14 first-year students over eight months. Regarding students' development over time, the quantitative analysis showed a gradual decline in students' motivation. However, in the interviews, certain events during the first year were identified as critical incidents demotivating students. These insights into the development of students' motivation at a business school show that concrete incidents influence students' motivational development; thus, they could be transformed by structural changes.