Gender and Academic Motivation

Recent research on the motivation and achievement patterns of girls and boys has called attention to several significant trends. Notable developments, such as the favoring of girls on many reading-focused assessments and a plethora of new studies on boys, appear both in the United States and internationally. This article covers several prominent gender-related trends in motivation research on both national and international levels. Specifically, the article discusses (1) the increased focus on boys' motivation and achievement, (2) differences in motivation and achievement within gender, (3) cross-national trends in gender-related motivation and achievement patterns, and (4) the expanding of existing theoretical motivation frameworks.