the role of motivational strategies in prediction of grade point average among students of kermanshah university of medical sciences

Background: motivational strategies are important determinants in students’ academic achievement. objectives: the purpose of this study was to determine the role of motivational strategies in prediction of grade point average (gpa) among university students. methods: this analytical cross-sectional study recruited 300 students of kermanshah university of medical sciences. sampling was done by simple random sampling with probability proportional to size in each faculty. participants filled out a self-administered questionnaire including the motivational strategies components, gpa status, and background variable. data were analyzed in spss-16 using pearson’s correlation and linear regression. results: the participants’ age ranged 18 to 29 with a mean of 21.08 ± 1.26 years. gpa was significantly associated with the motivational strategies (r = 0.137 and p = 0.026). the motivational strategies components accounted for 9% of the variation in the outcome measure of the gpa. extrinsic goal orientations (beta = 0.279 and p < 0.001) and test anxiety (beta = -0.287 and p < 0.001) were the best predictors of gpa. conclusions: based on our results, planning educational programs to increase extrinsic goal orientation and reduce the test anxiety may be enhancing gpa among university students.