WHAT MAKES STUDENTS WANT TO LEARN? MOTIVATION AND ACADEMIC BEHAVIOR AMONG SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN UZBEKISTAN

This paper looks at why students choose to study, and how different reasons for studying affect their learning and well-being. The main theoretical basis is Self-Determination Theory, which separates motivation into intrinsic (genuine personal interest) and extrinsic (studying for grades, parental approval, or career goals) types. The paper focuses on how these ideas apply to secondary school students in Uzbekistan, where family expectations and exam pressure play a strong role in shaping student behavior. Based on a review of existing research, the paper finds that students with genuine personal interest in learning tend to perform better, feel less anxious, and retain knowledge longer. At the same time, it argues that family-driven motivation in Central Asian culture is not simply a form of external pressure: when students truly adopt family values as their own, this motivation can be just as positive as personal curiosity. The paper ends with some thoughts on what teachers and schools could do differently to support better forms of student motivation.本研究探讨学生选择求学的动因，以及不同求学动因如何影响其学习表现与主观福祉。本研究的核心理论基础为自我决定理论（Self-Determination Theory），该理论将动机划分为内部动机（即发自内心的个人兴趣）与外部动机（即为获得成绩、获得家长认可或达成职业目标而学习）两类。本研究聚焦上述理论在乌兹别克斯坦中学生群体中的应用场景——在该国，家庭期望与考试压力对学生行为有着显著塑造作用。基于对现有研究的综述，本研究发现，真正拥有内在学习兴趣的学生往往学业表现更优异、焦虑感更低，且知识留存时长更长。与此同时，本研究指出，中亚文化语境下由家庭驱动的动机并非单纯的外部压力：若学生真正将家庭价值观内化为自身的价值追求，这类动机可与个人求知欲带来的动机同样具有积极作用。本研究最后针对教师与学校可采取哪些差异化策略以优化学生动机培养，提出了相关思考与建议。