Music academic performance: Effect of intrinsic motivation and critical thinking

Abstract

The aim of the study was to analyze the relationship between intrinsic motivation, critical thinking and academic performance in music of secondary students. 494 students participated. Data were analyzed using structural equation mixture modeling. The results showed two groups or clusters of students, distinguished by their scores on intrinsic motivation, critical thinking and music grades, where a group was characterized by high and the other low scores on the three variables. Regarding the relationships between variables, we observed that the effect of intrinsic motivation on critical thinking was similar in both groups, but the regression of critical thinking on music grades was higher for students with lower scores. This study provides a better understanding of the different profiles and the effect of the variables in explaining music grades.