Table 4 Reasons for change in motivation due to selection as reported by students, illustrated with quotations
From: Motivation of medical students: selection by motivation or motivation by selection
Reasons for change in motivation | Quotations |
|---|---|
Autonomy | |
Feeling in control | “Selection made you feel like you were in control of your admission, which was very nice” (this presumably is in comparison with weighted lottery) |
Competence | |
Affirmation of their abilities | |
- By themselves | “It gave me confidence that I can handle it, that I am fit for the programme” |
- By others | “… because selection confirmed that others also considered me suitable” |
- Living up to expectations | “A better/extra chance to prove to myself that I can do it” |
Relatedness | |
Feeling privileged | |
- Being part of a special group | “By being part of a special group” & “Because being part of a group of lucky people is an honour” |
- Getting a chance | “Because I got the chance to study what I always wanted” |
Informed choice | |
Reflection on study choice | “Because the selection is tough, you reflect on why you want this so badly” |
“… and you are constantly asked about your motivation by your environment and by yourself” | |
Getting acquainted with course material | “During selection you could already get a taste of the study, which (luckily) felt good” |
Result of effort | “Because of the dozens of extra hours I put into my preparation for decentralized selection I am more motivated. You put in more ‘effort’ in order to be able to study this, therefore you want to go for it even more!” |