Post Secondary Student Problem Gambling and Academic Motivation: A Study Evaluating the Relationships between the Level of Gambling Activity and Academic Motivation of Post Secondary Students.

摘要

The purpose of this quantitative survey design study was to examine potential relationships between academic motivation and the level of gambling activity of post secondary students. Data was collected using two quantitative surveys, the Canadian Problem Gambling Index (CPGI) and the Motivational Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ). A total of 96 students from a medium size university in Southern Ontario enrolled in the Fall 2010 semester volunteered to participate in the study. The findings indicate that there were significant relationships between levels of gambling activity, labeled as 'gambler type' and the following demographic variables measured from the CPGI: sex, length of residency, and having a preoccupation with gambling, as well as trends with class and two variables from the MSLQ, time management and effort regulation. Significant relationships were also shown between levels of gambling activity, labeled as 'gambler type' with those who had a preoccupation with gambling and with the following variables measured from the MSLQ: extrinsic goal motivation, critical thinking, self regulation, and peer learning, as well as trends with test anxiety and effort regulation. These findings from the study illustrate the importance of institutions and related stakeholders in further examining how levels of student gambling activity may adversely impact academic motivation and success.