Gap Year News Articles

Research Proves Gap Year Motivates Students

17th Sept 2010

New research published in Australia suggests time off before University may help students become more motivated to complete a degree after they come home. In a recent edition of the Journal of Educational Psychology, University of Sidney researcher Andrew J. Martin conducted two studies on the academic motivation and performance of more than 2,800 high school and college students. He found that Australian students were more likely to take a gap year if they had low academic performance and motivation in high school. Yet former "gappers" reported significantly higher motivation in college-in the form of "adaptive behavior" such as planning, task management, and persistence-than did students who did not take a gap year. Mr. Martin comments "Findings from the two studies suggest that participation in a gap year may be one means of addressing the motivational difficulties that might have been present at school."

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