Combined effect of curiosity, creativity, and motivation on academic performance of senior high school students

Abstract

Academic performance has consistently become the primary measure of students progress in school. As a yardstick, it is evident, based on the interaction of students’ psychological abilities, such as curiosity, creativity and motivation, which seem to be disregarded. The current study, therefore, investigated the combined effect of curiosity, creativity, motivation, and academic performance in core mathematics and integrated science. Two research hypotheses guided the study. The study adopted a correlational design. A sample of 652 was used through the purposive, simple random, stratified-proportionate, and systematic sampling techniques. Adapted curiosity, creativity, motivation scales, expert-developed core mathematics, and integrated tests were used to collect the data. The data were analysed inferentially with multivariate regression. The study revealed that students' curious behaviours, creative abilities, and motivation are related and complement one another as students pursue their academic goals. At the same time, core mathematics predicted better in integrated science than its inverse. Therefore, schools should allow students to investigate issues in their environment, engage in personalised activities and provide them with stimulating consequences after academic processes. These would help harness their curious abilities, promote creativity and invoke motivation in them.

Keywords

• Curiosity
• Creativity
• Motivation
• Academic Performance
• Senior High School

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