Motivation of university students and its cultivation

The intention of the paper is given to the motivation of university students and the way of influence it intentionally and unintentionally. The academic motivation of students represents the power of conviction, dedicated energy, enthusiasm, zeal toward their academic performance, but also various urges to reject unwanted conditions, the need to actively avoid potential losses and failures, etc. It is formed by many factors, events, tools and situations, acting in accordance with dichotomy, i.e. positively and negatively. The empirical part focuses on examining the expected effectiveness or significance of motivational tools versus the frequency of motivational tools really applied towards students. The results of a survey conducted on a sample of 142 students from the University of Žilina, Slovakia, show that there is a disproportion between the potentially most effective motivators and/versus actually applied motivators. In addition, university teachers utilize a largely unchangeable, stable spectrum of motivators to students, while not reflecting on the change in students’ motivation or expectations. Since student motivation is part of a broader system of overall academic motivation, it is desirable to systematically enhance it and thus contribute to the overall academic success of university.