Does the ARCS motivational model affect students’ achievement and motivation? A meta‐analysis

In this meta‐analysis, the aim is to determine the overall effect of the ARCS (attention, relevance, confidence, satisfaction) model of motivation on students‘ academic achievement, motivation, attention, relevance, confidence and satisfaction. Additionally, the effect of the model is analysed according to the learning environment in which the model is integrated, discipline area, education level and sample size. The primary studies included in the study were obtained from Web of Science, Scopus, Science Direct, ERIC and PsycARTICLE databases. A total of 38 controlled experimental studies in the form of peer‐reviewed articles were coded, resulting in 110 extracted effect size (ES). The sample size of the primary studies involves 8690 students from K‐12 (kindergarten to 12th grade) and higher education. Random‐effects model was used for overall ES, mixed‐effects model for categorical moderators and meta‐regression analysis for integer moderators. As a result of the study, it was determined that the overall effect of ARCS on achievement was at medium level (ES = 0.74) and the overall effect on motivation was at small level (ES = 0.43). ESs of achievement differed by the moderators of discipline and the ESs of motivation differed by the moderator of education level. There was not a significant relationship between the effect of ARCS on achievement and motivation, and moderator of sample size. Remarkable ESs have been obtained in the learning environment moderator related to the dependent variables of blended learning, robots, augmented reality; in the discipline moderator related to architecture, computer technologies, sciences and maths; in the level of education moderator related to undergraduate variables. In addition, very large ES related to the attention component of ARCS was obtained. The results obtained in this study do not represent the strength of the evidence, as it is based on the validity and reliability of primary studies.