Formation of Younger Schoolchildren's Academic Motivation in the Process of Extracurricular Project Activity

The paper considers particularities of motivational sphere in elementary school students. It shows the development of academic motivation progressing in relationship with other kinds of motives that have various origin and features. In the materials of the paper, specific features of project extracurricular activity performed with learners of the elementary school age are demonstrated. They also highlight the rich developing potential designed into the process of performing project activity. Using an experiment, the association is shown between academic motivation and extracurricular efforts within project activity. The experimental research uses: screening assessment of the extent of school motivation in learners of elementary grades (N. Luskanova's questionnaire for assessing the level of school motivation); the technique aimed at finding out the proportion of schoolchildren's social and cognitive learning motives (the "Ladder of intentions" by L. I. Bozhovich and A. K. Markova); the questionnaire compiled by teachers of the grades where the research was conducted specifically for the experiment (the answers were compared using McNemar's criterion). With mathematical data processing methods, efficiency of the use of project extracurricular activity in forming academic motivation in younger schoolchildren was demonstrated, which is explained by transferring motivational preferences from one kind of activity on the other one: learners handle the tasks set in the process of project performance successfully, they orient in the information field easily, they are able to identify cause and effect links, and to independently make conclusions upon the results of the research conducted.