A Study on Relationship between Academic Motivation and Psychological Well-Being in Students of Theology Faculty

This study has been carried out to reveal the relationship between academic motivation and psychological well-being, and demographic variables and some independent variables. The academic motivation of an individual is possible through the development of internal resources such as selfconfidence, self-acceptance, purposefulness, competence and autonomy. Because these resources are also the basic dynamics of psychological well-being, it gives rise to thought that there is a relationship between academic motivation and psychological well-being –which constitutes the basic hypothesis of the study. The sample of the research consisted of 276 students selected through random sampling method among students studying in Faculty of Theology in Karabük University and Atatürk University. “Academic Motivation Scale” and “The Psychological well-being Scale” are applied to the sample group with a mean age of 22. According to findings of the research in which questionnaire has been used in accordance with the relational screening method, it is seen that academic motivation and psychological well-being levels of the sample group are above the average. Also, there has been found a positive significant relationship between academic motivation and psychological well-being correlated with some independent and demographic variables(r=.397). This correlation is statistically strong and is valid for all sub-dimensions of the psychological well-being scale except “autonomy”. When research results are evaluated collectively, it is seen that academic motivation is one of the important factors affecting psychological well-being for students. For this reason, it is expected that the precautions to be taken in order to increase the academic motivation of the students can make significant contributions to their psychological well-being.