Motivation: a construct used to explain the initiation, direction, & intensity of an individual’s behavior in a particular situation

Theories of Motivation Computational Theory of Mind

1. Initial States

2. Monitoring Processing during Problem-Solving

3. Goal State Intrinsic vs. Extrinsic Motivation

Distributed Cognition

Instructional Implications

Motivation

InitialState

Goals

Means-EndBeliefs

PossibleEmotions

Expectations

Values

Computational Theory of Mind

Monitoring Processes during Problem-Solving

Monitoring

Standards

Self-Efficacy

Ability Beliefs

Interest

GoalState

CausalAttribution

EmotionsFelt

Goals: What are they? Goal = something a person would like to accomplish

by engaging in a particular activity

Tend to direct or guide behavior Often start off vague Only start directing behavior after more specific Often remain implicit until queried

Types Learning vs. Performance Academic vs. Social

Computational Theory of Mind: Goals are presumed inherently cognitive (they are mental representations of some future state of affairs)

Learning vs.Performance Goals Learning goals = to understand something, gain mastery

over a skill, feel competent Performance goals = to gain approval of

(or look better than) others, gain rewards, avoid criticism

Effects on Performance & Learning: Students with learning goals…

seek challenging tasks that develop their competencies see teacher as a resource or guide process information at a deeper level than…

Students with performance goals… choose tasks that will make them look competent see teacher as evaluator who will reward/punish do not process information as deeply

As individuals age, they seem to shift from learning goals to performance goals (ouch)

Academic vs. Social Goals Academic goals = being a successful student, learning /

understanding new things, doing the best you can, getting things done on time

Social goals = earning approval of others, having fun, making friends, helping others, being dependable / responsible

Effects on Performance & Learning: Specific social goals are strongly related to academic goals Which? Being helpful, responsible, & compliant Why? More frequent & positive interactions with teachers

& peers more likely to achieve

Not all social goals are related to success in school Students with goal of “having fun” in school typically have low

GPAs

As individuals age, they seem to shift from academic goals to social goals (hmmm)

Monitoring Processes Self-efficacy beliefs = your beliefs regarding whether or not

you have the ability to perform some task Developed through experiences of having their actions produce

numerous successes & fewer failures Older children often feel more self-efficacy than younger ones

(duh)

Ability beliefs = your general sense of your skill in an area Combine hierarchically to form individual’s self-concept Self-concept becomes increasingly differentiated with age Self-concept declines during adolescence & then rises again

Effects on Performance & Learning: High self-efficacy leads to greater effort, persistence & quality of

problem-solving tasks accounts for 14% of variance in academic achievement in schoolchildren

High ability beliefs leads to greater willingness to choose challenging tasks & greater persistence in fact of failure

Intrinsic vs. Extrinsic Motivation

Intrinsic Motivation = engaging in the behavior to feel competent, gain mastery, or satisfy their curiosity

Extrinsic Motivation = engaging in the behavior to receive praise, gain tangible reward, or avoid punishment

Locus of Control: When intrinsically motivated, YOU are in control. When extrinsically motivated, OTHERS are in control.

Effects on Performance & Learning: People are naturally inclined to seek feelings of competence,

gain control over their environment, set challenges for themselves, & satisfy curiosity

BUT its relatively easy to make someone intrinsically motivated into someone extrinsically motivated – frequent introduction of external rewards (tangible or intangible), punishments, use of competition and/or social comparisons

Distributed Cognition Goals

A student’s goals & intentions are socially & culturally situated Need to examine relationships between the learner (identity) &

the community of practice (context)

Motivation NOT a ‘factor’ with ‘components’ inside the person It is an emergent property between the learner & their context

NOT a matter of high/low, intrinsic/extrinsic ALL learners are motivated – they just may not be motivated in

the ways that educators want them to be It is an issue of engaging learners in activity when there are

competing or differing goals & intentions

The official learning goals may not be compelling to learnersor may be at odds with their identities as learners

(e.g. Scollen, 1981)

Instructional Implications

Computational Theory of Mind Help students acquire and coordinate appropriate goals

(learning goals, academic & social goals) Provide devices to help them monitor their progress

(charts, assessments, & other forms of feedback) Point out to students their control over their successes

(develop appropriate expectations, high self-efficacy)

Distributed Cognition What kinds of identities does your learning environment

engage with? What kinds of identities might your students bring to it?

How might your goals align or conflict with learners’ goals?

Are there ways to get them better aligned? How do the activities in your classroom intersect with

students’ lived experiences outside of class? X

Activity Let’s compare two learning environments –

one informal, one formal.

Informal Learning Environment: MMOGs

Highly graphical 2- or 3-D videogames Online social interaction Persistent virtual worlds Real-time, perpetually accessible Loosely structured by open-ended (fantasy)

narratives, but… Players free to do as they please “Escapist fantasy” yet emergent

“social realism” (Kolbert, 2001)

A learning environment?!

Socially & materially distributed cognition

They are sites of distributed

social & material cognition.

Collaborative Problem Solving

Complex collaborative

problem-solving.

Negotiation of MeaningWhere meaning is negotiated…

Within comm.of practice

Within / across emergent communities of practice.

Apprenticeship & EnculturationSo, yes, they ARE learning environments. Complex & challenging ones, in fact.

cigarette

And they are so motivating, psychiatrists worry about

‘addiction.’

Critique of schoolYet, no one worries about ‘addiction’ to school.

But more compellingWhy would an informal learning environment(like an MMOG) be so much more engagingthan a formal one (like the K-12 classroom)?

Compare / contrast the two.

Ability Beliefs

general competence

academic non-academic

math

english

history

etc.

social

emotional

physical

Self Concept

pre-adolescence earlyadolescence

middleadolescence

late adolescence early adulthood

(Marsh, 1989)