The aim of this study is to describe and analyze how students conceptualize their motivation to study. Empirical data has been gathered through group interviews with 54 Swedish students in middle and high school. In Sweden, a decrease in motivation to study is both evident and discordant.  Studies by OECD (2022) has reported declining ratings internationally for the compulsory school in Sweden during the years 2000-2012, even though slightly improving the results in PISA ratings year 2012 and 2018 (Skolverket 2019), a high proportion of students with incomplete grades (Skolverket 2020a, 2020b), and a lack of motivation (Sveriges Elevkårer & Lärarnas Riksförbund, 2015). That study motivation is an important issue in both compulsory school and upper secondary school is also confirmed in statistics from the National Agency for Education. Many actors (parents, student organizations, teachers’ unions, the National Agency for Education, businesses, and politicians) are demanding measures to change the negative trend.

When children start school, they encounter various challenges and demands in social, cognitive, and academic tasks. However, student motivation to learn seems to diminish over time as the students get older (Martin, 2009).  Compulsory school teachers report that already in the intermediate stage, attention is drawn to the problem of a lack of study motivation among some students, preferably boys (Boström & Bostedt, 2021). The question of study motivation is thus relevant in most of the students’ year groups. Besides different age groups, it is also important to analyze variations in the student groups dependent on important background variables, such as gender, country of birth, parents’ level of education, and socioeconomic status. The concept of study motivation has not been researched to any great extent but more focused students' motivation in different subjects (Boström & Bostedt, 2022).

Teachers try to help students to study effectively and to increase their motivation by introducing study techniques. Study techniques are often described as strategies for taking notes, reading, processing texts, and retention (Skoglund & Waje, 2000). Implicit is the assumption that the study techniques presented are suitable for all individuals. However, such advice often has a collective approach without taking into account students’ characteristics and study preferences. We believe that individual variations in the motivation to study are important but that they should not be considered on the basis of surface learning or as instrumental competencies. A broader analysis of and insight into study motivation is required within school and subject contexts. In analyzing the motivation to study in compulsory school, it is therefore important to have a perspective that not only focuses on the individual student but also takes into account the entire school and classroom situation. According to Imsen (2006), an analytical model of learning requires that what is happening has to be connected to (a) individuals, (b) the interaction between two people, (c) as a triangular relationship between student, teacher, and subject matter, the didactic triangle, or (d) to a larger structured context, societal processes, as context.

 This study aims to describe and analyze how students of three different ages (3^rd, 6^th, and 8^th grade) conceptualize the motivation to study. The research questions are as follows:

 1)    What conceptions do students in compulsory school in three different age groups in Sweden have about study motivation?

2)    What are the similarities and differences among these groups of students?

 Our theoretical standpoint is that both internal and external factors are important for understanding and explaining motivation. By internal factors, we refer to the students’ driving forces, and, by external factors, we refer to the influence of the social and material environments, as well as teachers’ and students’ home situations. 

In this study, we use a phenomenographical approach to explore students’ experiences of study motivation. From this perspective, each individual experiences the world differently due to the different degrees of awareness of things, feelings, or meanings that are embedded in a phenomenon (Akerlind, 2008). Phenomenography defines aspects that are critically different within a group involved in the same situation. These differences make one way of seeing the situation qualitatively different from another. According to Stamouli and Huggard (2007, p.1), “Phenomenography is a tool for understanding our students,” and it looks at how people experience, understand, and ascribe meaning to a specific situation or phenomenon (Marton & Booth, 1997). When research is conducted with a phenomenographical approach, the world can be seen from two different perspectives, two descriptive levels that are called first- and second-order perspectives (Uljens, 1989). From a first-order perspective, the researcher looks at reality objectively and describes how things are. The focus of this study is on examining how students perceive the motivation to study in compulsory school and hence the study will instead be based on second-order perspectives where the starting point is to describe how people experience their surroundings, that is, the subjective perception of things in the world (Uljens, 1989). The most central concept in phenomenography is thus the concept of perception. However, it is not the individual perception itself that is interesting; it is the possible variation in people’s perceptions of a phenomenon within the group that is of interest (Marton & Booth, 2000). This study involved 54 students in focus group interviews in primary school in Sweden with variations in their backgrounds in terms of gender, study experiences, academic qualifications, and classes (3rd, 6th, and 8th grade).

There is a couple of expected and integrated outcomes. Firstly, variations of conceptions are important to produce in research. Previous research has shown only two studies (Boström & Bostedt, 2022; Szklarski, 2011) in this direction. Secondly, it is relevant to examine differences in perceptions between the three age groups. This, of course, is important for teachers' teaching and the students' understanding in different ages especially in view of the reduced study motivation in adolescence (Martin, 2009). Thirdly, the reasons underlying their motivation to study are often complex and encompass as well as hide different needs. To understand the phenomenon of motivation, a synthesis of theories is also needed. In this study, motivation has primarily been placed in a social and didactical context. What affects students’ motivation to study? Also, what do the students themselves think about the question? In research, different explanations partly overlap each other. In this study, the interest is mainly focused on factors directly linked to the school. In addition, the study describes and analyze possible causes for success and/or failure in the area of study motivation. The results emphasize the importance of understanding and studying study motivation in a broader perspective where internal and external motivational factors interact. Study results will be valuable not only for Swedish conditions but also from an international perspective.

Åkerlind, G. S. (2008). A phenomenographic approach to developing academics’ understanding of the nature of teaching and learning. Teaching in Higher Education, 13:6, 633–644. https://doi.org/10.1080/13562510802452350 Boström, L., & Bostedt, G. (2022). Student conceptions of motivation to study revealed through phenomenography: “Good teaching materials are kind of like good teachers. They make it more fun to study.”(Manuscript in review) Boström, L., & Bostedt, G. (2020). What about study motivation? Students and teachers’ perspectives on what affects study motivation. What about study motivation? International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research, 10(8), 40–59 Imsen, G. (2006). Elevens värld. Introduktion till pedagogisk psykologi. [The student’s world. Introduction to educational psychology]. Studentlitteratur Martin, A. J. (2009). Motivation and engagement across the academic life span. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 69(5), 794–824. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013164409332214 Marton, F., & Booth, S. (2000). Om lärande [About learning]. Studentlitteratur. Marton, F., & Booth, S. (1997). Learning and awareness. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. OECD (2022) PISA – Programme for International Students Assesment. PISA database. https://www.oecd.org/pisa/data/, 2022-01-16 Skoglund, S., & Waje, L. (2000). Svenska Timmar – språket [Swedish hours – the language]. Gleerups. Skolverket (2019) PISA 2018. Skolverket Skolverket (2020a) Uppföljning av gymnasieskolan 2020, Skolverket Skolverket (2020b) Skolutveckling. Statistik. https://www.skolverket.se/skolutveckling/statistik/sok-statistik-om-forskola-skola-och-vuxenutbildning?sok=SokC&verkform=Grundskolan&omrade=Betyg%20%C3%A5rskurs%209&&lasar=2019/20&run=1. 2020-01-04 Stamouli, I., & Huggard, M. (2007). Phenomenography is a tool for understanding our students. Proceeding, International Symposium for Engineering Education. Dublin City University