Evaluating the Level of Learning Motivation Among the Rehabilitation Students at the University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences of Tehran, Iran; During 2011-2012

Background: Learning motivation among the students of rehabilitation, as one of the main challenges in the universities, leaves different impacts on the outcome of learning systems. Objectives: Considering the critical role of rehabilitation services provided by rehabilitation graduates, the current study aimed to determine the level of learning motivation among the rehabilitation students focusing on different aspects of self-efficacy, self-regulation, and communication abilities. Patients and Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on the rehabilitation students of the University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences who were selected by the total population sampling method. The validity and reliability of the learning motivation questionnaire were evaluated by its implementation in the study; an independent t-test, Pearson's correlation coefficient and one-way ANOVA analysis were used to analyze the data. Results: The mean and standard deviation of the population under study were 159.853 ± 17.838 (out of maximum 220). It means that the score is farther down cut of point. The social work students got the highest scores in learning motivation, followed by the students of technical orthopedics, occupational therapy, physiotherapy and speech therapy, respectively. There was a significant difference in the mean score of learning motivation among the five evaluated disciplines, based on the ANOVA (F = 3.085; sig = 0.016). The level of learning motivation among the M.Sc and Ph.D students was higher than that of B.S students. There was a significant relationship between the level of learning motivation and age, gender, and marital status variables (P = 0.01). Conclusions: Considering the level of learning motivation among the students in aspects of self-efficacy conception, self-management, and communication abilities, it is recommended to provide programs to develop these characteristics by cooperative learning method based on social constructivism theory.