Abstract
This study is intended to identify factors affecting the learning motivation of our school’s physical
therapy students and examine effective educational support methods. Subjects: First-year students at our
three-year vocational school were compared with students at a four-year university. Methods: We administered
Ichikawa’s two-factor model questionnaire in April and October 2022. Students were grouped based on
changes in their content-involved motivation, and we analyzed free-response questionnaires regarding the
factors that influenced such changes. Results: At our school, the category “instructors” was identified as the
primary factor enhancing content- involved motivation, while at the comparison school, “intellectual curiosity”
was the main factor. Regarding factors that decreased content-involved motivation, our students reported
“poor physical condition” and “disliked subjects,” while the comparison school students cited “lack of time”
and “time–investment returns.” Discussion: To enhance content-involved motivation at our school, we believe
that instructor interventions that teach self-regulated learning strategies would be beneficial. A comparison of
the school results underscores the need to 1) consider appropriate study-time requirements that reflect student
abilities and 2) implement gradual educational interventions.
