Motivation Toward Choosing Psychology as a Secondary School Subject: A Cross-Cultural Comparison

Abstract

Background:

During the past two decades, psychology has become a favorite school subject in many countries. This situation has led to studies on students’ attitudes and perceptions of psychology as a secondary school subject.

Objective:

The purpose of this study was to compare motives for choosing psychology as a school subject among secondary school students (15–19 years of age) from England and Slovakia.

Method:

In this study, we administered an online questionnaire to gather data about motivation toward studying psychology among secondary students in England (n = 150) and Slovakia (n = 210).

Results:

For both groups, the most frequent motives and beliefs influencing the choice of psychology were self-understanding and understanding behaviors of others. However, significant cross-cultural differences in other motives emerged (e.g., the perception of difficulty of psychology as a school subject).

Conclusion:

Students, regardless the cultural context, choose psychology mostly to understand how the human mind works and to understand human behavior to help people.

Teaching Implications:

Pre-tertiary psychology teachers therefore need to accept a challenge to fulfill students’ expectations and to raise awareness of pre-tertiary students’ perceptions and beliefs about psychology among decision makers on national and international levels.