Motivation to Learn

Keys to Increasing Student Engagement

Motivation to Learn

Cognitive Apprenticeships review

Chapter 14 Group Presentation

Factors Influencing Motivation

For Tuesday: start studying for your Quiz #3 (Chapters 11-14) - Tuesday, Dec. 14th 10:00-11:50

Classroom Management-Working with Parents

Factors Influencing Motivation

Interest

Attributions

Self-efficacy

Goal Orientation

Motivation to Learn

The role of Attribution Theory and Task Engagement

Attribution Theory

Weiner, 1974–Attribution theory assumes that people

try to determine why people do what they do.

–As “naïve psychologists” we come up with explanations of why things happen.

– I.e., attribute causes to behavior

The Chain of Events

According to Attribution theory, the type of attributions we make determine future acts

The Chain of Events

1. A certain outcome occurs

2. I ask the question "Why?"

3. I provide an attribution.

4. My future behavior depends on the type of attribution I make.

Example

You are taking a class and you get test results back. You take a peek and see, aarrgghh, a 65%. You think about these disappointing results for a minute and realize…

you have a lousy teacher, a terrible textbook and the test was completely unfair

Example

On the next test you take a peek and see, ahhhh, a 95%. After seeing this results you think…..

When you're hot, you're hot. If you've got it, flaunt it. Some people are born great.

Three Causal Dimension (Weiner, 1974; 1986)

Locus of control

Controllability

Stability

Making Attributions – Locus of Control

External (“it was the lousy teacher”)– assigns causality to an outside agent or

force

Internal (“if you’re hot, you’re hot”)– assigns causality to factors within the

person

Three Causal Dimension (Weiner, 1974; 1986)

Locus of control – External v. Internal

Controllability – Causes one can control, I.e., skill/efficacy

Versus– causes one cannot control, I.e., aptitude,

mood, others' actions, and luck

Stability– Change over time?

Yes- (unstable) No - (stable)

Attributions Affect Future Behavior

You are taking a class and you get test results back. You take a peek and see, aarrrgh, a 65%. You think about these disappointing results for a minute and realize…

You have a lousy teacher, a terrible textbook and the test was completely unfair– External, uncontrollable, stable

Future behavior- unlikely to change

You missed several days of class and only reviewed half of the material on the study guide – Internal, controllable, unstable

Future behavior – more likely to change

Attributions Affect Future Behavior

You are taking a class and you get test results back. You take a peek and see, aarrrgh, a 65%. You think about these disappointing results for a minute and realize…

You stink at this subject, no matter what you do it doesn’t make a difference. You’ll never be good at it. Why even try?– Internal, stable, and uncontrollable

Learned Helplessness(Seligman, 1965)

When cause is viewed as internal, stable and uncontrollable– A psychological condition in which a

human (or animal) has learned that it is helpless. It feels that it has no control over its situation and that whatever it does is futile. As a result it will stay passive when the situation is unpleasant or harmful.

Influencing Behavior

How does this have implications for the classroom?

If we can direct/control the attributions people make, then we can influence

their future behavior.

Four factors affecting attributions for achievement

(Weiner, 1974)

Ability

Effort

Task difficulty

Luck

Alternative Example

You are taking a class and you get test results back. You take a peek and see, ahhhhh, a 65%. You think about these disappointing results for a minute and realize…

You missed several days of class and only reviewed half of the material on the study guide.

Alternative Example

On the next test you take a peek and see, ahhhh, a 95%. After seeing this results you think…..

Wow, what a score! The teacher must have been asleep when he graded my paper because I didn’t have a clue.

Combining 4 Factors with 3 Dimensions to examine

Reactions to Failure

Attribution Example Locus Controllable Stable

Effort “I didn’t study enough”

Internal Yes unstable

Ability “I’m not good at math”

Internal No(Yes?)

stable(unstable?)

Task Difficulty

“The test was hard”

External No stable

Luck “I had bad luck”

External No unstable

Our View of Ability- Effects on attributions

Theories of Intelligence

Fixed/Entity view:Intelligence is static; what you’re born with is what you’ve got

Malleable/Incremental view:Intelligence can grow through practice, effort and improved strategies

Reactions to Success and Failure

Fixed/Entity – tend to make external attributions in the face

of failure to protect self from negative attributions. You make internal attributions when successful.

Malleable/Incremental– can make internal attributions when

successful and in the face of failure.

Reactions to Failure(Malleable View of Intelligence)

Attribution Example Locus Controllable Stable

Effort “I didn’t study enough”

Internal Yes unstable

Ability “I’m not good at math”

Internal Yes- I need new

strategies

Unstable- I can

improve

Task Difficulty

“The test was hard”

External No stable

Luck “I guessed wrong”

External No unstable

Self-Efficacy

A Key to Improving Motivation

Self-efficacy Defined

People’s judgments of their capabilities to organize and execute courses of action required to attain designated types of performance (Bandura, 1986)

An individual’s judgment of his or her capabilities to perform given actions (Schunk, 1991)

Self-efficacy v. Self-concept

Self-efficacy– View of one’s abilities in a specific domain

Self-concept or self-esteem– Global view of one’s self across domains

Self- Efficacy…

Influences task choice, effort persistence and achievement.

Compared with students who doubt their learning capacities, those who have a sense

of efficacy for [particular tasks] participate more readily, work harder, persist longer

when they encounter difficulties, and achieve at a higher level… Student do not engage in activities they believe will lead to

negative outcomes. -Schunk & Zimmerman, 1997

4 Factors of Influence

Past Performance– Past success in solving algebra equations

increases individual’s beliefs in their capability to solve future problems

Modeling– Observing others successfully solve

algebra equations increase observers belief that they can be solved

4 Factors of Influence (cont.)

Verbal Persuasion– Teacher comments “I know you will be able to

solve these equations,” increases the likelihood that individuals will engage in a demanding task, and if successful, belief in their capabilities

Psychological State– Thoughts such as, “I cant do this”, uses working

memory space that could be devoted to solving the problems, success is reduced and efficacy decreases.

High Self-efficacy Low Self-efficacy

Task Orientation Accept challenging tasks

Avoid challenging tasks

Effort High effort with challenging tasks

Low effort with challenging tasks

Persistence Persist when goals aren’t initially reached

Give up when goals aren’t reached

Beliefs Will succeedIn control

IncompetenceNot in control

Strategy Use Discard unproductive strategies

Keep unproductive strategies

Performance Perform higher than low S-E with equal ability

Perform lower than high S-E with equal ability

Influence on Behavior and Cognition

Creating Successful Classroom Experiences

(Culyer, 1996; Lipson& Wixson, 1997; Margolis & McCabe, 2004)

Work should challenge but not frustrate

– Classwork at students’ instructional level

– Homework at students’ independent level

Explicitly and systematically teach learning

strategies that produce success.

Ways Teachers can strengthen self-efficacy in students(Margolis & McCabe, 2004)

Linking new work to recent successes

Stressing peer modeling

Reinforcing effort and persistence

Teaching learners to make facilitative attributions

Helping to identify and make personally important goals

Effective Goals(Margolis & McCabe, 2004)

Personally important– Relevant and needed

Immediate (v. distant)– Short term

Specific (v. Broad and General)

Achievable– Moderately difficult (not too hard, not too easy)

Focus on Learning/Mastery (v. Performance)

Goal Orientation

The Final Key to Improving Motivation

Learning/Mastery Goals

Focus on challenge and mastery of a task

Deep processing used to accomplish understanding

Lead to– Attempting to understand– Not worrying about failure– Not comparing oneself with others

Performance Goals

Focus on demonstrating high ability and avoiding failure– “Getting an A on the test”– “I just don’t want to fail and have to take the

class over”

Lead to– “Getting by” rather than true understanding of

concepts– Feelings of anxiety about success and failure– Comparison and competition with others

Learning v. Performance Focused Classrooms(Maehr, 1992)

Learning-Focused Performance-Focused

Definition of Success

Improvement, progress, mastery

High grades, performance comparisons

Reasons for effort

Learn something new

High grades, demonstrate ability

Basis for satisfaction

Progress, challenge, mastery

Doing better than others,Success with min. effort

Evaluation criteria

Evidence of progress

Social comparisons

Interpretation of errors

Information, part of the learning process

Failure, lack of ability

Concept of Ability

Incremental, improves with effort

Entity, fixed

Goal Orientation and Learner Outcomes(Wolters, 2004)

Mastery Orientation– Higher Levels of Motivational Engagement– Effective Learning Strategies

Performance Approach Orientation– Higher Grades

Performance Avoidance– Negative relation to motivation and learning

strategies

Why Help Students Set Learning Goals?

Use goals to motivate and increase feelings of self-efficacy– Gives a standard by which to measure

progress and success– Increase effort and persistence– Encourages the use of new strategies when

the old ones do not work as well