title: Why children differ in motivation to learn: Insights from over 13,000 twins from 6 countries.
abstract: Little is known about why people differ in their levels of academic motivation. This study explored the etiology of individual differences in enjoyment and self-perceived ability for several school subjects in nearly 13,000 twins aged 9-16 from 6 countries. The results showed a striking consistency across ages, school subjects, and cultures. Contrary to common belief, enjoyment of learning and children's perceptions of their competence were no less heritable than cognitive ability. Genetic factors explained approximately 40% of the variance and all of the observed twins' similarity in academic motivation. Shared environmental factors, such as home or classroom, did not contribute to the twin's similarity in academic motivation. Environmental influences stemmed entirely from individual specific experiences.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Cognitive Investigations and Behavioral Genetics, Tomsk State University, Russia ; Goldsmiths, University of London, London, UK ; King's College London, MRC Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, UK ; Psychological Institute, Russian Academy of Education, Moscow, Russia.
authors.forename: Yulia
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kovas
authors.affiliation: Université Laval, Québec, Canada.
authors.forename: Gabrielle
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Garon-Carrier
authors.affiliation: Université Laval, Québec, Canada ; Tomsk State University, Russia.
authors.forename: Michel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Boivin
authors.affiliation: The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA.
authors.forename: Stephen A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Petrill
authors.affiliation: King's College London, MRC Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, UK.
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Plomin
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Cognitive Investigations and Behavioral Genetics, Tomsk State University, Russia ; Psychological Institute, Russian Academy of Education, Moscow, Russia.
authors.forename: Sergey B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Malykh
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Saarland University, Saarbrücken, Germany.
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Spinath
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, USA.
authors.forename: Kou
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Murayama
authors.affiliation: Keio University, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Juko
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ando
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Cognitive Investigations and Behavioral Genetics, Tomsk State University, Russia.
authors.forename: Olga Y
authors.initials: OY
authors.lastname: Bogdanova
authors.affiliation: Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, Canada.
authors.forename: Mara
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Brendgen
authors.affiliation: Université Laval, Québec, Canada.
authors.forename: Ginette
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Dionne
authors.affiliation: Université Laval, Québec, Canada.
authors.forename: Nadine
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Forget-Dubois
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Cognitive Investigations and Behavioral Genetics, Tomsk State University, Russia.
authors.forename: Eduard V
authors.initials: EV
authors.lastname: Galajinsky
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Saarland University, Saarbrücken, Germany.
authors.forename: Juliana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gottschling
authors.affiliation: Université Laval, Québec, Canada.
authors.forename: Frédéric
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Guay
authors.affiliation: Département de psychoéducation, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Canada.
authors.forename: Jean-Pascal
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Lemelin
authors.affiliation: Crane Center for Early Child Research and Policy, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA.
authors.forename: Jessica A R
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Logan
authors.affiliation: National Center for University Entrance Examinations, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Shinji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yamagata
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, USA.
authors.forename: Chizuru
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Shikishima
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Heidelberg University, Germany.
authors.forename: Birgit
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Spinath
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychological Sciences, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA.
authors.forename: Lee A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Thompson
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Cognitive Investigations and Behavioral Genetics, Tomsk State University, Russia ; Psychological Institute, Russian Academy of Education, Moscow, Russia.
authors.forename: Tatiana N
authors.initials: TN
authors.lastname: Tikhomirova
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of York, UK.
authors.forename: Maria G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Tosto
authors.affiliation: Université de Montréal, Montréal, Canada ; School of Public Health, Physiotherapy and Public Health, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland ; Department of Psychology, University of York, UK.
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Tremblay
authors.affiliation: Université de Montréal, Montréal, Canada.
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Vitaro
keywords: Cross-cultural study; Enjoyment; Individual differences; Self-perceived ability; Teacher/classroom effect; Twin studies