Perfis de curiosidade e motivação académica em alunos/as do 3.º ciclo do ensino básico

As a career adaptability dimension, curiosity can be conceived of a disposition that sustains the exploration of the self and the environment, considering the imagination of the self in various life roles and occupations. It consists of an important psychosocial resource to manage transitions and to pursue the personal construction of a career path. Despite extensive research on career adaptability, studies to deepen knowledge about its specific dimensions (such as curiosity) and articulation with academic processes are still needed. aligned with literature that acknowledges the articulation between career and motivational processes, relations with academic motivation might be considered. This study aims at identifying profiles of curiosity and academic motivation among middle school students. Participants included 197 pupils (53.3% girls; Mage = 13.85), attending 7th, 8th, and 9th grades in a public school of Northern Portugal. Participants completed a questionnaire for sociodemographic and academic characterization, the Curiosity subscale of the Career Adaptability Scale, and the Academic Goals Inventory. Results from cluster analyses (k-means method) suggested the identification of three profiles. The first profile included students presenting high curiosity, intrinsic and extrinsic motivational orientations. The second profile included students presenting high curiosity and orientation to specific goals and learning. The third profile included students presenting low curiosity as well as low intrinsic and extrinsic orientations. This study illustrates the articulation among career and academic processes, whereby it might sustain integrative psychological interventions.