Autonomous Motivation to Enter High School and School Adjustment: A Short-Term Longitudinal Study

The purpose of the present study was to examine factors leading to an adaptive transition from junior high school to high school.(In Japan, compulsory education ends with the ninth grade, and high school is optional.) High school students (N=480) completed questionnaires 3 times: at the start of their sophomore year in May, in October, and at the end of the school year in March. The final sample was 176 students (82 males, 94 females). The results showed that having autonomous motivation to enter high school predicted willingness to attend school and satisfaction with school life. On the other hand, the absence of self-determined motivation to enter high school was predictive of maladjustment. It was suggested that continuing one's education in high school with a sense of autonomy could lead to school adjustment.