What Factors Influence Intrinsic Motivation and Test Anxiety Scores for Upper Second Level CS Students

Understanding how intrinsic motivation (IM) and test anxiety (TA) vary among students is critical for supporting self-regulated learning in constructivist Computer Science (CS) education; however, there is limited empirical evidence on how these factors differ across demographic, academic, and lifestyle contexts in Leaving Certificate Computer Science (LCCS). This study examines patterns of association between IM and TA, and a range of student-related factors, in an Irish upper-second-level CS context. Data were collected across 94 national outreach sessions (2020–2022), yielding 734 valid responses, with selected items drawn from the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ). Descriptive analysis showed high IM (M = 3.93, SD = 0.58) and moderate, variable TA (M = 3.33, SD = 0.89). Statistical analyses identified significant associations between IM and TA scores and factors including gender, prior CS experience, mathematics level and achievement, science subject choice, social media use, and teacher gender, with small-to-moderate effect sizes. Additional interaction analyses demonstrated that IM and TA vary across combinations of factors, particularly mathematics level, school gender, and science pathways, as well as lifestyle patterns involving gaming and social media. These findings suggest that IM and TA are associated with a range of intersecting demographic, academic, and lifestyle characteristics. However, as the analysis is correlational, the results indicate associations rather than cause-and-effect relationships. The results contribute to CS education research by highlighting patterns that may inform the design of targeted supports to sustain motivation and reduce anxiety in constructivist learning environments such as Leaving Certificate Computer Science.