Chapter 3: What factors motivate students to learn?
In the book How Learning Works (Ambrose, Bridges, Lovett, DiPietro, and Norman, 2010), the third chapter explores what factors motivate students to learn.
How Does Motivation Effect Learning?
Students’ motivation is an important component in learning. Many intrinsic and external factors influence whether they are motivated, including seeing the value of mastering skills. In order to understand what motivates us, there are two basic components: the subjective value and the expectancies of attaining the goal. Students are most motivated to learn when they see the value in mastering the skills and when they feel they will be able to meet the expected goals for the course (Ambrose, et al., 2010). Knowing this, the teaching style of the instructor can greatly influence the outcome of success for some students.
Research Says…
Goals, value, and expectancies are the drivers behind student motivation.
Goals:
Goals are not just success-related; goals may include performance goals, learning goals, and work-avoidant goals.
Performance goals emerge when the student wishes to succeed in order to protect their image or reputation (Dweck & Leggett, 1988).
Learning goals are different in that the student is actually motivated to learn for the sake of acquiring a skill or new knowledge.
Work-avoidant goals involve students rushing to finish their work as quickly as possible, going through the motions of accomplishing their assignments but not intrinsically mastering the work (Meece & Holt, 1993). These students may have difficulty imagining how the goals of the assignments relate to the “big picture”, or how they will use these skills after the course is complete (such as a math class).
Students who desire to achieve multiple goals are more likely to succeed, however (Valle, Cabanach, Nunez, Gonzales-Pienda, Rodriguez, & Pineiro, 2003).
Value:
Value refers to the goal’s importance, and there are three types of values:
Attainment Value is the term used to describe the motivation to succeed simply for the reward of accomplishment. Academically, this can be the reward of a good grade or it can be the reward of winning a championship game.
Intrinsic Value is the sense of accomplishment one feels simply doing a task rather than the reward of completing it. One example is the passionate works of artists, musicians, or writers who often spend many more hours involved in the creative process than for which they are compensated.
Instrumental Value is seen when the prime motivating factor for success is something measureable such as a pay raise, promotion, or prestige.
How Does Motivation Effect Learning?
Students’ motivation is an important component in learning. Many intrinsic and external factors influence whether they are motivated, including seeing the value of mastering skills. In order to understand what motivates us, there are two basic components: the subjective value and the expectancies of attaining the goal. Students are most motivated to learn when they see the value in mastering the skills and when they feel they will be able to meet the expected goals for the course (Ambrose, et al., 2010). Knowing this, the teaching style of the instructor can greatly influence the outcome of success for some students.
Research Says…
Goals, value, and expectancies are the drivers behind student motivation.
Goals:
Goals are not just success-related; goals may include performance goals, learning goals, and work-avoidant goals.
Performance goals emerge when the student wishes to succeed in order to protect their image or reputation (Dweck & Leggett, 1988).
Learning goals are different in that the student is actually motivated to learn for the sake of acquiring a skill or new knowledge.
Work-avoidant goals involve students rushing to finish their work as quickly as possible, going through the motions of accomplishing their assignments but not intrinsically mastering the work (Meece & Holt, 1993). These students may have difficulty imagining how the goals of the assignments relate to the “big picture”, or how they will use these skills after the course is complete (such as a math class).
Students who desire to achieve multiple goals are more likely to succeed, however (Valle, Cabanach, Nunez, Gonzales-Pienda, Rodriguez, & Pineiro, 2003).
Value:
Value refers to the goal’s importance, and there are three types of values:
Attainment Value is the term used to describe the motivation to succeed simply for the reward of accomplishment. Academically, this can be the reward of a good grade or it can be the reward of winning a championship game.
Intrinsic Value is the sense of accomplishment one feels simply doing a task rather than the reward of completing it. One example is the passionate works of artists, musicians, or writers who often spend many more hours involved in the creative process than for which they are compensated.
Instrumental Value is seen when the prime motivating factor for success is something measureable such as a pay raise, promotion, or prestige.
Expectancies:
People are naturally motivated by the belief that they are able to achieve a goal. If they don’t believe they can be successful, it is hard to justify working hard towards an unattainable goal. There are two types of expectancy goals:
Outcome Expectancies lead the motivation that if student does “x”, then the reward will be “y”. An example might be the expectation that completing an MBA degree will lead to a promotion.
Efficacy Expectancies is holding the belief in oneself that a task completed will bring about the desired changes. Positive thinking is a strong factor in overcoming learning obstacles. An example of this may be overcoming issues that arise when incorporating more technology into learning or teaching. Students and teachers alike must remain positive that, in the long run, there will be value in learning something new and not become discouraged.
Both values and expectancies are components of the classroom climate. If the student feels supported, they may succeed against all odds. Conversely, if a student who is prone to be successful is in an environment with an unsupportive teacher, the environment may threaten their success. The book illustrates the interactive relationships between environment, efficacy, and value on motivation in the image below:
People are naturally motivated by the belief that they are able to achieve a goal. If they don’t believe they can be successful, it is hard to justify working hard towards an unattainable goal. There are two types of expectancy goals:
Outcome Expectancies lead the motivation that if student does “x”, then the reward will be “y”. An example might be the expectation that completing an MBA degree will lead to a promotion.
Efficacy Expectancies is holding the belief in oneself that a task completed will bring about the desired changes. Positive thinking is a strong factor in overcoming learning obstacles. An example of this may be overcoming issues that arise when incorporating more technology into learning or teaching. Students and teachers alike must remain positive that, in the long run, there will be value in learning something new and not become discouraged.
Both values and expectancies are components of the classroom climate. If the student feels supported, they may succeed against all odds. Conversely, if a student who is prone to be successful is in an environment with an unsupportive teacher, the environment may threaten their success. The book illustrates the interactive relationships between environment, efficacy, and value on motivation in the image below:
The image shows how various combinations of environment and efficacy can create differing learning outcomes. Seeing that each factor is equally important, this gives the instructor a broader vision of why a student may have difficulty succeeding and what changes might correct the situation.
What strategies are suggested according to this research?
We all tend to be more motivated by learning material that interests us or is relevant to our goals. Instructors need to help students find real-life connections to their lessons. Some ideas may be assigning work with real interactions with an event or provides a product service for a real client.
In addition, instructors should identify and reinforce objectives they’re looking for and show excitement for the subject matter. Not only will lessons be a bit more interesting but the teacher’s attitude may spark curiosity about the subject (Ambrose, et al., 2010).
Building positive expectancies and communicating them to students is important. Providing measurements of expectations and early opportunities for success can instill confidence and motivation to move on to more challenging work.
What strategies are suggested according to this research?
We all tend to be more motivated by learning material that interests us or is relevant to our goals. Instructors need to help students find real-life connections to their lessons. Some ideas may be assigning work with real interactions with an event or provides a product service for a real client.
In addition, instructors should identify and reinforce objectives they’re looking for and show excitement for the subject matter. Not only will lessons be a bit more interesting but the teacher’s attitude may spark curiosity about the subject (Ambrose, et al., 2010).
Building positive expectancies and communicating them to students is important. Providing measurements of expectations and early opportunities for success can instill confidence and motivation to move on to more challenging work.
Voice Thread: Motivating online learners
Below, you will see an interactive VoiceThread component. VoiceThread is great for creating a group discussion about a topic and allows the user to add images, video, and even "draw" on the images.
You will see a small box in the lower left side of the VoiceThread. Sign in, or register (it's free!) and you're ready to comment! You can upload an image to use as your identity if you wish.
Listen to the question by clicking on the "play" arrow in the center of the first image. Then click the "Comment" button to record your thoughts for each image. You may comment via audio, video, telephone, or by typing. Go to forward or backward by clicking the right and left arrows.
Thank you for participating!
You will see a small box in the lower left side of the VoiceThread. Sign in, or register (it's free!) and you're ready to comment! You can upload an image to use as your identity if you wish.
Listen to the question by clicking on the "play" arrow in the center of the first image. Then click the "Comment" button to record your thoughts for each image. You may comment via audio, video, telephone, or by typing. Go to forward or backward by clicking the right and left arrows.
Thank you for participating!
REFERENCES
Ambrose, Susan A., Bridges, Michael W., DiPietro, Michele, Lovett, Marsha C., & Norman, Marie K. (2010). How learning works 7 research-based principles for smart teaching. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Dweck, C., & Leggett, E. (1988). A social-cognitive approach to motivation and personality. Psychological Review, 95, 256-273.
Meece, J., & Holt, K. (1993). A pattern analysis of student’s achievement goals. Educational Psychology, 94, 381-395.
Valle, A., Cabanach, R., Nunez, Jl, Gonzales-Pienda, J., Rodriguez, S., & Pineiro, I. (2003). Multiple goals, motivation and academic learning. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 73, 71-87.
