Motivation to study and applying for secondary school of VALMA-students
Keywords:
preparatory education, secondary education, motivation, NEETAbstract
This article examines the associations of motivation to study, school satisfaction and social support with the probability of students in preparatory education for vocational training (VALMA) applying for secondary school in Central Finland. The results show that Finnish-speaking VALMA-students exhibit lower motivation to study compared to their foreign-
language counterparts. This difference could be explained by the younger age of Finnish-speaking students. After controlling for differences in demographic characteristics, a task avoidance strategy (comprising task avoidance and failure expectation) is found to be associated with a higher NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training) probability in the year following survey participation, particularly among men. Higher motivation in studying and planning future career prospects is positively associated with the likelihood of foreign- language students applying for secondary school.
