“Be proud of me”: scholastic motivation of high-achieving students with migration backgrounds
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Declining school performance has fueled public debate in Sweden, with a particular focus on students with migration backgrounds, who are often perceived as underachievers in the Swedish educational system. Using the self-determination theory as a framework, this study shifts the spotlight onto high-achieving students with migration backgrounds. The aim was to explore how they describe and make sense of their academic motivation. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 36 students aged 15–18 years and analyzed using thematic analysis. The main theme in the results was “familial collectivist motivation”, a motivation derived from a sense of mutual obligation to their parents and their parents’ sacrifices to provide better life conditions through immigration. This academic motivation reflected a “generational effort continuity” while also embodying a “burden of gratitude.” It could be understood as a blend of external, introjected, and autonomous forms of regulation, revolving around the desire to make their parents proud.
Authors: Layal Wiltgren, Robert Thornberg
Institution: Linköping University
Language: English
Subfield: Experimental and Cognitive Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Quality education
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W4416440171