Abstract:

In recent years, across the globe a plethora of academic literature has focused on how to increase the academic success and motivation of university students. Teachers in tertiary programs are aware of the need to continually cultivate new approaches to relate to their students’ motivating factors in order to achieve academic success.

Students entering universities bring unique challenges and insights to the programs. As motivation is one element that is difficult to identify, a research project was conducted at the Petroleum Institute in Abu Dhabi to investigate faculty and students’ definition of academic success; thus, providing a glimpse into the elements that motivate students to succeed in their academic studies.

Several themes emerged from analyzing the responses; some straightforward as grades and others related to culture, gender differences, and academic levels.

The presenter will share the findings from both male and female campuses by highlighting the influence of gender roles and culture on students’ perceptions of academic success. Implications to teachers will be explored.

Keywords:

Academic success, motivation, gender, culture.