Abstract:
The purposes of this research were 1) to study and compare levels of recognition of characteristics of advisors, undergraduate student-advisor interaction, academic motivation, and success in learning among undergraduate students whose backgrounds were different; 2) to develop and examine goodness of fit of a cause and effect model of undergraduate student-advisor interaction with academic motivation as a mediator; and 3) to analyze a role of academic motivation as a mediator of a cause and effect model of undergraduate student-advisor interaction. The research sample consisted of 759 undergraduate students from universities in Bangkok and its surrounding suburbs in the academic year 2015 selected by multi-stage random sampling method. Data were collected through a survey questionnaire. The data were analyzed by using descriptive statistics, Pearsons correlation by SPSS and Structural Equation Modeling analysis by LISREL. The results revealed that: 1. Undergraduate students had a high level of recognition of characteristics of advisors, undergraduate student-advisor interaction and academic motivation (mean = 4.110, 3.748, 3.602, respectively), and had a moderate level of success in learning (mean = 3.426). The results of the analysis on the difference of recognition of characteristics of advisors, undergraduate student-advisor interaction, academic motivation and success in learning by genders, levels of years, fields of study, and types of universities were found that (1.1) male and female undergraduate students had no difference in recognition of characteristics of advisors, undergraduate student-advisor interaction, academic motivation and success in learning at 0.05 level of significance. (1.2) All of undergraduate students had different recognition of characteristics of advisors, undergraduate student-advisor interaction, and academic motivation at 0.05 level of significance, but had no difference in success in learning. (1.3) Undergraduate students in each field of study had different recognition of characteristics of advisors, undergraduate student-advisor interaction and success in learning at 0.05 level of significance, but had no difference in academic motivation. (1.4) Undergraduate students in each university had different levels of recognition of characteristics of advisors and academic motivation at 0.05 level of significance, but had no difference in undergraduate student-advisor interaction and success in learning. 2. The cause and effect model of undergraduate student-advisor interaction with academic motivation as the mediator fit the empirical data (Chi-Square = 28.04, df = 21, p-value = 0.139, GFI = 0.993, AGFI = 0.981, RMR = 0.007, RMSEA = 0.021). The factor affected undergraduate student-advisor interaction was recognition of characteristics of advisors with a direct effect of 0.863. Additionally, the results of undergraduate student-advisor interaction had a direct effect on academic motivation, and an indirect effect on success in learning via academic motivation (direct effect = 0.559, indirect effect = 0.519) with a statistically significant level of 0.05. The variables in the model explained the variance of 97.6%, 77.5% and 18.4% of success in learning, undergraduate student-advisor interaction, and academic motivation respectively. 3. The role of academic motivation as a mediator in this model was a full mediation from undergraduate student-advisor interaction to success in learning.