Title: Motivation and Classroom Learning
1Motivation and Classroom Learning
- Reynolds Miller
- Chapter 6
2- Facts
- 1980s
- Motivational research did not investigate the
linkages between motivational beliefs and
cognition - Achievement was studied in terms of grades
- Motivational models and constructs were cognitive
but were not explicit in the research - Now
- Cognitive researchers recognize the importance of
motivational factors in cognition and classroom
learning
3- Motivational theories and student outcomes a
synthesis - Motivation?what gets people going (instigation,
direction, intensity and actual achievement) - Two perspectives
- Nomothetic?one theory for all
- Idiographic?individual differences
- Outcomes
- Choice
- Task involvement (levels of processing)
- Persistence
- Actual achievement
4Role of Motivational Components in Classroom
Learning
- Three general components seem to be important in
these different models - Beliefs about ones ability or skills
(expectancy) - Belief about the importance, interest, and
utility of a task (value) - Feelings about self or emotional reactions to the
task (affective)
5Expectancy components?can I do this? Only if I
have enough control over the task, I have the
skills to accomplish
Control Beliefs Internal locus of
control?tended to achieve higher levels Self
determination?(autonomy) intrinsic motivation
(origins pawns) Connell (1985) control
beliefs internal control external
control (powerful others) Perceived control
in classroom environment Skinner et. al (1995)
Capacity beliefs Strategy beliefs
Control beliefs Self Efficacy Theory (Bandura
1986) ability to influence outcomes
learned helplessness
6The general pattern of perception of internal
control results in outcomes More cognitive
engagement, higher achievement, higher self
esteem Weiner (1986) Locus of control
Internal vs. external Controllable vs.
uncontrollable Stable vs. unstable
- Attributional theory proposes that causal
attributions an individual makes for success or
failure (not the actual success or failure)
mediates for future - Expectancies
- Individuals who tend to attribute success to
internal and stable causes tend - to expect to succeed in the future
- Individuals who tend to attribute their success
to external and unstable will - not expect to do well in the future
- Those students who fail and tend to blame the
causes to external and - unstable causes fair better than those students
who blame their failure to - internal and stable causes
- Differences between attributional theory and
intrinsic motivation attributions are post hoc
explanations of their behavior - Stability, not locus of control is linked to
expectations of future success - Attributions can be changed through feedback and
other environmental - manipulations
7- Self Efficacy Beliefs?students beliefs about
their ability to do the task - these are
beliefs about performance capabilities - This approach is domain specific not constructs
like self concept - For example judgments about ability in performing
the task - It also involves the prior experience the
individual has with similar situations - These beliefs can be generalized to a subject
area, rather than a specific exam - Self efficacy is one of the strongest predictors
of actual achievement, self regulation - and course engagement
8- Value Components include
- Goals for doing task
- Utility interest in task
- Why am I doing this?
- There are two basic components
- Goal orientation
- Task value
- Goal orientation
- All motivational theories posit some type of
goal/purpose/intentionality - A goal cognitive representations of purposes
- Types of goals
- Target?specific to task
- Purpose?schema orientation?planning, conducting
and evaluating? why do individuals perform a task
9- Most theories assume that goal orientation are a
function of both - Individual differences
- Contextual factors
- These theories include two general goal
orientations - Learning/Mastery Goals?to increase competence
- Foster adaptive, motivational achievement
outcomes - Yield predictions of future outcomes
- Those students with mastery goals that fail
maintain their self efficacy by persevering on
the task - Receive the failure notice with less anxiety
- Research very stable yielding same results when
replicated - Use more strategies (elaboration) and deeper
processing - 2. Performance Goals?avoidance of negative
judgments - Students with performance goals have great deal
of anxiety when failure because they want to save
face - These students also have irrelevant thoughts
(others are doing better) and diminished
performance - Research is not as stable as those conducted on
learning goals (instruments) - Lack of use of strategies
10- Task Value has three components
- The individual perceptions of the importance of
the task - Their personal interest in the task
- Their perception of the utility or value of the
task
- Perceived Importance of the task
- Is related to the general direction of behavior
(Zachs example) - Should be related to the persistence in
accomplishing the task
- Interest on the task
- Attitude regarding the task (liking or disliking)
- The interest in the task is somewhat stable over
time - Depends on students personal characteristics,
and instructor - Influence the level of involvement of the student
- Value or utility of the task
- Related to the engagement and cognition in the
classroom setting - Value beliefs are better predictors of choice of
behavior while expectancy - components (self efficacy and perceived
competence) are better predictors of - their performance
11- Autonomy and choice are intrinsically motivating
factors higher level - of engagement
- Ryan Deci (2000) for levels of extrinsic
motivation - 1. External regulation?teacher rewards or avoid
punishment - 2. Introjected regulation?feelings of should,
ought and guilt - 3. Identified regulation?activity importance to
the student (similar to the - importance and utility of the task value?goal
is chosen by the student - 4. Integrated regulation?integration of various
sources of information into - their own schema?it is a form of self
determination -
12Affective Components?students emotional reactions
to the task and their performance
(how does the test makes me feel?)
- There are 4 general routes by which emotions
might influence various outcomes - (Pekrum, 1992)
- Memory processes?retrieval and storage of
information?how mood was encoded - persons mood at the retrieval persons mood
at encoding - People in good mood recall positive
memories and viceversa - Negative affect influence working memory
132. Affect influences the use of different
cognitive regulatory and thinking
strategies?leading to different types of
achievement performance good mood?more rapid,
less systematic processing of information
more assimilation processes (top
down) negative mood?more systematic, analytical
processing use of less strategies (deeper
processing) 3. Affect can increase/decrease the
attentional resources emotions can take space
in the working memory is the bases for the
anxiety during tests 4. Emotions can work
through their effect on extrinsic and intrinsic
motivation enjoying a task done previously will
facilitate accomplishing similar tasks
(intrinsic motivation) and viceversa
Anxiety?negative relationship with test/acadmic
performance it includes cognitive worry
components and more emotional components
which interferes with students ability to
activate the appropriate knowledge and skills
needed Other affective reactions?anger, pity,
shame, pride and guilt