Genetics may be a key to a student’s level of motivation at school, according to a study by the Ohio State University psychologists. More than 13, 000 twins ages 9 to 16 from six countries answered questions about how much they enjoyed reading, math, science, and other academic subjects. The twins also rated their own abilities in these subjects. The researchers looked at how close the answers concerning these aspects of motivation were for fraternal twins compared with identical twins. They found that about half of the difference in the twins’ motivation could be explained by genetics, while the other half could be explained by the twins’ experiences, such as differential parenting or a teacher whom one twin had but not the other. To read the full article, you may visit Personality and Individual Differences, July.

Susie Bean Gives Team