Academic motivations and the risk of not in employment, education or training: university and vocational college undergraduates comparison

PurposeThis study aims to investigate the relationship between academic motivations and the risk of Not in Employment, Education or Training (NEET) among university undergraduates and Vocational Education and Training (VET) undergraduates.Design/methodology/approachThe sample included 402 Vietnamese university undergraduates and 250 VET undergraduates in the southern region of Vietnam. Students took part in a survey, with all participants being informed about the study's purpose and assured that their involvement was entirely voluntary. In addition to descriptive statistics, the study employed linear regression in SPSS to examine hypotheses.FindingsThe findings indicate that, for university students, intrinsic motivation and mastery approach motivation are associated with reduced NEET risk, while performance avoidance motivation is positively linked to this tendency. In contrast, for VET students, extrinsic motivation and performance approach motivation are negatively associated with NEET risk, but mastery approach motivation may exacerbate the risk.Originality/valueGrounded in the principles of Self-Determination Theory (SDT) and Achievement Goal Theory (AGT), the study proposes that university students may prioritize competence improvement, knowledge acquisition and the satisfaction of their learning interests, which they believe will help them acquire valuable knowledge beneficial for their future careers. Conversely, VET students emphasize performance and external achievement, which may enhance their outcome and reduce NEET risk. These findings offer significant theoretical and practical insights into the adoption of SDT and AGT and also provide educators or policymakers with more detailed information regarding university and VET students' learning and development.