The virtue of culture in understanding motivation at school : commentary on the special issue on culture and motivation

Abstract

Students' higher level of motivation is not based solely on intrapersonal factors as innate characteristics, but also on contexts in which students are supposed to develop their competencies. Thus, the cultural context is expected to shape motivation. Values and beliefs shared by a cultural group will affect students' motivation to learn and educational outcomes. This special issue on culture and motivation presents a collection of ground-breaking research ideas that advance our knowledge on how motivation is shaped by the cultural context and how motivation processes are affected by the cultural milieu. Hopefully, this special issue will stimulate new research that will advance our understanding of motivation at school.