Motivation and Learning from Kindergarten to Early School Years

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Motivation and Learning from Kindergarten to
Early School Years

• Jari-Erik Nurmi
• Center of Excellence in Learning and Motivation
  Research
• University of Jyväskylä, Finland

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In this presentation some findings on

• Development of reading and math skills from
  kindergarten to primary school
• Role of motivation in learning
• Role of teachers in learning

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But before I start

• a couple of notions

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Learning at school is a complex phenomenon that
includes many actors child, parent and teacher
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Child
Learning
Parent
Teacher
Learning in interpersonal context I
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Child (Skills, beliefs, Self-concept)
Feedback
Motivation
Learning
Feedback
Guidance
Feedback
Instruction
Parent (Beliefs, Causal attributions, Parenting)
Teacher (Beliefs, Causal attributions, Teaching
styles)
Learning in interpersonal context III
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If we are interested in impacting children
learning ?

• Many things we may like to try

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Finnish school system some particular features

• Late start of formal education age of seven
• Late tracking age of 16
• Relatively small differences between schools
• Short school days
• Little homework
• All teachers educated to MA level

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Finnish schools
Senior High
Day care/ home
Kindergarten
Elementary I
Element. II
Vocational
6 7 12 16
Age
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Development of reading and math skills
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Key issues

• How does learning progress (developmental
  dynamics)?
• Individual differences in learning do they
  decrease or increase?
• Shape of learning curves
• Are there subgroups of children who differ in
  their learning trajectories?

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The Jyvaeskylae Entrance into Primary School
(JEPS) study

• 207 children from two municipalities near
  Jyvaeskylae followed so far across three years
• Started 1999

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1999 - 2000
2000 - 2001
2001 - 2002
Pre-school
Grade 1
Grade 2
Time 1 October
Time 2 April
Time 3 October
Time 4 April
Time 5 October
Time 6 April
- Pre-skills - Academic skills - Achievement
beliefs - teacher-ratings
- Pre-skills - Academic skills - Achievement
beliefs - teacher-ratings
- Pre-skills - Academic skills - Achievement
beliefs - teacher-ratings
- Pre-skills - Academic skills - Achievement
beliefs - teacher-ratings
- Pre-skills - Academic skills - Achievement
beliefs - teacher-ratings
- Pre-skills - Academic skills - Achievement
beliefs - teacher-ratings
Five-year examination
Practicing skills Parenting styles
Expectations Well-being etc.
Practicing skills Parenting styles
Expectations Well-being etc.
Practicing skills Parenting styles
Expectations Well-being etc.
Parents questionnaire 1
Parents questionnaire 2
Parents questionnaire 3
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First, learning to read
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Pre-School
First Grade
Time 1
Time 2
Time 3
Time 4
Reading Skill R2 .52
Reading Skill R2 .82
Reading Skill
Reading Skill R2 .42
.76
.93
.75
64.64
28.06
18.58
? 3.97 var 76.51
? 9.32 var 135.00
? 11.99 var 159.67
? 27.17 var 32.03
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.17
.09
.09
.43
Reading skill Time 1
Reading skill Time 2
Reading skill Time 3
Reading skill Time 4
1
1
1
0
1
1
1
1
1
0
0
0
Trend 1
Trend 2
Level
.26
-.71
-.82
20
-.25
Level R2 .60
Growth I R2 .37
Growth II R2 .54
-.39
.77
Phonemic Awareness
-.64
.12
.21
Letter Knowledge
-.14
Listening Comprehension
-.18
.47
Number Sense
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Learning math
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Grade 1
Grade 2
Pre-school
Time 1
Time 2
Time 3
Time 4
Time 5
Time 6
math per-formance 1
math per-formance 2
math per-formance 3
math per-formance 4
math per-formance 5
math per-formance 6
1
1
1
1
1
1
Math per-formance 1
Math per-formance 2 R2 1.00
Math per-formance 3 R2 .75
Math per-formance 4 R2 .76
Math per-formance 5 R2 .93
Math per-formance 6 R2 .87
.94
.87
.87
.96
1.00
Var 6 95.39
Var 1 20.31
Var 2 46.48
Var 3 49.65
Var 4 59.99
Var 5 90.80
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0
math per-formance 1
math per-formance 2
math per-formance 3
math per-formance 4
math per-formance 5
math per-formance 6
1
.65
1
1
.38
.82
1
.24
1
1
0
1
Level
Slope
.17
25
.16
Level R2 .58
Slope R2 .23
.17
Metacognition
.16
Listening Comprehension
.44
.62
Number Sense
.15
Visual Attention
.14
Gender
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To summarize

• Learning to read and math a different processes
  by nature
• Implications?
• should children start earlier school?

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Does motivation matter?
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Why motivation is important in learning?

• High motivation
• ? attention, persistency, positive affects and
  task-focused behavior
• ? good learning outcomes
• Lack of motivation
• ? fluctuating attention, negative affects and
  task-avoidance
• ? poor learning outcomes

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However, also learning outcomes may contribute
motivation

• Positive feedback ? increase in motivation
• Negative feedback ? decrease in motivation

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Grade 1
Time 1 October
Time 2 December
Time 3 January
Time 4 April

• - Academic skills
• Motivational
• strategies

-Academic skills - Motivational strategies

- Academic skills - Motivational strategies
- Academic skills - Motivational strategies
Pre-measu- ment



Jyväskylä Transition to primary school study 102
children followed (Lerkkanen, Rasku-Puttonen,
Aunola Nurmi)

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1st grade
August
October
December
January
April
Reading
.59
.43
.69
Reading
Reading
Reading
.48
-.21
-.29
Pre-skills
-.11
Task- avoidance
Task- avoidance
Task- avoidance
Task- avoidance
-.45
.86
.88
.86
Aunola, Nurmi, Niemi, Lerkkanen Rasku-Puttonen
(2002).
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1st Grade
August
October
December
January
April
Math skills
.47
.60
.73
Math skills
Math skills
Math skills
.48
-.30
-.44
Pre- skills
Task- avoidance
Task- avoidance
Task- avoidance
Task- avoidance
-.45
.86
.93
.87
Aunola, Nurmi, Lerkkanen Rasku-Puttonen (2003)
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Recursive impact model
Motivational strategies
Feedback
Impact
Learning outcomes
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The JEPS study

• 207 children from two municipalities near
  Jyväskylä followed so far across three years
• Started 1999

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Dont like to do/ Very boring
I love to do/ Like a lot
2
1
5
4
3
Esim. How much you like math at school? How
much you like math-related homework
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Pre-school
First Grade
Second Grade
.15
.15
.11
Math performance Time 1
Math performance Time 2
Math performance Time 3
.35
.18
.11
Math Performance
Math Performance
Math Performance
.91
.92
.81
Pre-mathematical Skills (Time 0)
.16
.14
Task- Motivation
Task- Motivation
Task- Motivation
.21
.60
.93
.65
Task-Motivation Time 1
Task-Motivation Time 2
Task-Motivation Time 3
.26
.11
.11
Aunola, Leskinen Nurmi (2006).
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Recursive impact model
Task- motivation
Feedback
Impact
Learning outcomes
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What about teachers impact?

• ? some findings

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Dont like to do/ Very boring
I love to do/ Like a lot
2
1
5
4
3
Esim. How much you like math at school? How
much you like math-related homework
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Pre-school
First Grade
Second Grade
.18
.17
.14
Math performance Time 1
Math performance Time 2
Math performance Time 3
1
1
1
1
2
0
Level
Trend
.81
Pre-mathematical Skills (Time 0)
.35
.46
.40
Level
Trend
1
0
1
1
2
1
Task-Motivation Time 1
Task-Motivation Time 2
Task-Motivation Time 3
.84
.68
.11
Aunola, K., Leskinen, E., Nurmi, J.-E. (2006).
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Effects of Classroom variables on the trend of
pupils task-motivation (each from separate
analyses).
Variable Stand. Est. t R2
1. Number of pupils -.26 -0.67 .07 in
class 2. Years of experience as a teacher
.15 1.12 .02 Pedagogical Goals 3.
Self-concept and motivation .87
4.71 .75 4. Mathematics -.58 -7.84
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Recursive impact model
Teachers beliefs
?
Feedback
Impact
Childrens Task-motivation
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New studies
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The First Steps study(Nurmi, Lerkkanen,
Poikkeus, Niemi, Ahonen, Siekkinen, etc.)

• Aims
• Role of teachers in childrens
• learning and motivation
• Role of parents in childrens
• learning and motivation
• Some more focused topics immigrants,
  genetic basis of , etc.
• Basic population Three towns in Finland
  (Joensuu, Kuopio and Turku)

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Measurements

• Children tested and interviewed
• Teachers questionnaires
• teaching styles
• ratings of children
• Parents questionnaires
• parenting styles
• ratings of children

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The First Steps study
Kindergarten
3rd gr.
4th gr.
1st grade
2nd gr.
2000 children
400
600
Individual testing
Teacher ratings
Teacher ratings
Screening of 2000 children
600 target children, 4 of each classroom
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LIGHT study (Aunola, Viljaranta, Natale, Nurmi)

• Aims
• Role of teachers in childrens
• learning and motivation
• Role of parents in childrens
• learning and motivation
• Some more focused topics immigrants,
  genetic basis of , etc.
• Basic population Three towns in Finland (Pori,
  Lappeenranta and Imatra)

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LIGHT study 200 children, one per classroom
1st grade

• Children
• Skills
• Motivat.

• Children
• Skills
• Motivat.

Teachers diary Daily one week
Teachers diary One week
Parents diary Daily one week
Parents diary One week
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Take home message

• Learning to read and math are different kinds of
  processes
• Motivation matters
• The ways in which teacher think and act in the
  classroom may have great impact on children
  learning

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Thank you
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