Mapping the motivation of biomedical engineering students: A cross-sectional study

The purposes of this study were: (1) To determine to what extent the basic psychological needs of biomedical engineering program students are satisfied; and (2) how students' motivation is related to both their perceived learning outcomes and program regulations. This is a cross-sectional study in which we used a mixed-method research approach that included a paper-based 5-point Likert questionnaire (from "1"- strongly disagree to "5" - strongly agree) to measure the students' amotivation and intrinsic motivation, as well the different types of extrinsic motivation, and focus groups. The study involved 364 students (1st - 9th semesters) from a biomedical engineering program. Our study showed that the basic psychological needs of biomedical engineering program students are satisfied. The motivations of biomedical engineering students are more inclined toward behaviors that are more self-determined rather than being driven by external regulations. The more motivated students are, the more they perceive they learn.