The motivation to study of first-year students

The problem of motivating an individual to be active in the society is always relevant in different fields of science, since the availability of appropriate motives determines appropriate response of each person. The purposeful formation of students’ study and professional motivation is one of the main tasks in higher education, and identifying different aspects of such motivation in first-year students gives an opportunity to have feedback and improve the living conditions of young people. In this article it has been established that student’s educational motivation can be considered as a complex system of factors and motives (goals, needs, interests, tendencies, successes, etc.) that are constantly changing and are mutually influential; it makes students acquire knowledge, development and develop their abilities, skills, personal qualities, a positive attitude to their future profession and the world around. The purpose of this work is to study the indicators and peculiarities of the motivation to study of first-year students. At this stage, among the main tasks is the determination of indicators and dynamics of motivation of first-year students at the classical university based on the example of the Uzhhorod National University using the results an electronic questionnaire for first-year students. The article reveals a peculiarity of students’ motivation to study, which lies in the fact that it is not only polimotivated, but also one of the important results of the adaptation process (that is, the process and result of adaptation as a factor of motivation) and at the same time one of the mechanisms/factors of adaptation of young people to the educational process in higher education. The Empirical research proves that at the university, the majority of students (over 70%) have optimal motivational complexes during all the academic years under research, which contributes to successful professional training. There is also a general tendency for both the university as a whole and for most faculties, namely higher indicators of internal and external positive motivation in comparison with indicators of external negative motivation.