New Perspectives in Science Education

Based on D. McClelland's theory of needs (1961) we investigated achievement motivation on a sample of 165 students, enrolled in social science courses in a Romanian public university. As theory of needs stated, there are three major needs (for achievement, for affiliation, and for power) which underpin human motivation, shaping work behaviour and learning engagement. We aimed to identify the dominant need among students, in order to calibrate the teaching and learning practices according to the students' motivational profile. As students were enrolled in social science programmes (e.g., sociology, human resource management), we expected the dominance of the need for achievement, seconded by the need for affiliation. Using a 18 items scale proposed by Lussier and Hirsch (1988) we found a moderate need for achievement and a relatively low need for affiliation, with the need for power in the last position. We explained the moderated need for achievement in the light of the Romanian higher education context, including recruitment and admission process, teaching practices and occupational opportunities. Furthermore, several ways to enhance students' motivation for achievement have been proposed, under the umbrella of a pilot project: setting challenging learning goals, giving constant feedback, developing learning team based on academic skills not on friendship, maintaining the risk at a minimum level, empowering the students, setting learning and extra-curricular activities to provide intrinsic satisfaction. As the level of the need for affiliation recorded an unexpected low level, we develop a set of activities to be implemented by tutors in order to stimulate the interpersonal cooperation, conflict management and teamwork. Although the current study is exploratory in its nature, it might be useful, for both researchers and professionals aiming to enhance students achievement motivation.