The development of students' motivation in the transition from secondary to higher education: A longitudinal study

• The current manuscript reports on a longitudinal study entailing 5 waves.
• Transition period: final year of secondary until the second year higher education.
• Results show that students’' autonomous motivation increases as they progress.
• A slight increase in controlled motivation occurs during the transition.
• Amotivation remains stable, but is lower at the start of higher education.

The aim of the current study is to investigate the development of students' motivation across the transition from secondary to higher education. Data regarding students' motivation as conceptualised by the self-determination theory was collected at five measurement moments, over a period of 25 months, starting within the final year of secondary education up to the second year of higher education. In this study, 630 students participated who made the transition to higher education. After establishing longitudinal measurement invariance, the development of students' motivation was assessed by means of multiple indicator latent growth analysis. The findings show a positive development of motivation across the transition from secondary to higher education. Autonomous motivation increased across the five measurement moments. The increase in controlled motivation is limited but mostly takes place during the transition from secondary education to higher education. Although amotivation increased within secondary education and remained stable within higher education; it was significantly lower at the start of higher education than at the end of secondary education.