Abstract

• The aim of this study was to investigate school connectedness and academic motivation of high school students in Aunglan Township. This study conducted a survey research design and employed with a quantitative method. A total of 900 Grade 10 students (male=442, female= 458) from rural, suburban and urban high schools in Aunglan Township were selected by using random sampling techniques as the participants of the study. The research instruments: Measurement of School Connectedness (MOSC) questionnaire developed by Irina Sugar (2012) and Academic Motivation Scale (high school version) developed by Vallerand et al. (1993) were adapted and applied. The results pointed out that school connectedness of students was satisfactory. Female students were higher in school connectedness than males. Students from suburban areas have a greater sense of connection to their school compared to students from urban areas. There were no significant differences in school connectedness of students by subject combination. Moreover, students showed good motivation for their academic pursuits. There were no significant differences in academic motivation by gender, subject combination and school locality. Moreover, there was a significant positive correlation between school connectedness and academic motivation of students (r= .505). Thus, this study highlighted the fact that the stronger the students’ school connectedness, the higher their academic motivation. Finally, the linear regression analysis indicated that 25% of the academic motivation of students can be predicted from school connectedness (Adj R2= .254).