Relationship between Intelligence Quotient, Academic Motivation and Academic Performance in Secondary School Students

Background: Students’ academic performance is affected by personal factors such as students’ effort, previous schooling, parent’s educational background, self motivation and intelligence.

Aim: To determine how academic motivation and intelligence quotient uniquely contribute to differences in students' academic performance.

Study Design: This was a cross-sectional descriptive study.

Methodology: The study was carried out on 405 selected students from both private and public secondary schools in Enugu-East Local Government Area, study participants aged 9 through 15 years which is within the eligible ages for the Raven Standard Progressive Matrices. Academic scores in three subjects were obtained from the schools. Intelligence quotient was measured using Raven Standard Progressive Matrices and Academic motivation was measured using the Academic motivation scale modified for use among secondary school students. A self-administered questionnaire was used to obtain data on age, gender and parent’s educational level.

Results: Approximately 50% of study participants had an IQ 100 and above and 7.5% were intellectually superior scoring above the 95th percentile. IQ and academic motivation significantly predicted academic performance accounting for 29.9% of variance in academic performance(p<0.001).

Conclusion: Academic motivation plays a role in students’ success and academic performance. IQ alone does not account for the differences in academic performance among students.