Abstract

In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, the relationship between academic motivation and mental health remains unclear among Canadian undergraduate students. This study examined associations between academic motivation and mental health, sociodemographic, and COVID-related factors in Canadian undergraduate students during the period of returning back to in-person learning (third stage of the pandemic from January–March 2022). A sample of 1868 undergraduates across British Columbia, Ontario, and Quebec completed a cross-sectional online survey in Winter 2022. Regression models revealed that depression was associated with lower academic motivation (βs ≥ 0.12, ps < 0.001), whereas stress and resilience were associated with higher academic motivation (βs ≥ 0.07, ps ≤ 0.001), controlling for related sociodemographic or COVID-related factors. Results also identified some sociodemographic (e.g., year of study, gender, English as first language status) and COVID-related factors (e.g., preference for in-person vs. online learning) for academic motivation. Results highlight factors associated with the academic motivation of students when returning back to in-person learning.

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