Ch. 12 - Motivation

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motivation

• internal state that arouses, directs, and maintains behavior

• as a process:

  • internal and external factors trigger (continuum of intrinsic/extrinsic)

  • motivational components (needs, values, goals, beliefs) guide outcomes

• sometimes explained in terms of traits (personal characteristics) or temporary situations/states

intrinsic motivation

• internal locus of causality

  • activity itself is satisfying, no reward needed

extrinsic motivation

• external locus of causality

  • not interested in activity; can provide incentives

amotivation

• complete lack of any intent to act

self-determination theory

• people have 3 fundamental basic needs

  • competence → developing mastery over tasks

  • autonomy → desire to be in charge of own behavior

  • relatedness → belonging, fitting in, connecting with others

• effect on students when these 3 are met → reasons for doing things become more intrinsic

supporting self-determination

• allow & encourage students to make choices

• help students plan and accomplish self-chosen goals

• accountability for choices

• provide rationale

• acknowledge and accept negative emotions

• support students’ need to connect with trusted ppl at school (relationships matter!)

setting goals

• helps facilitate student performance

• goals to increase motivation

  • specific, elaborated goals with subgoals

  • moderately difficult

  • proximal goals, reachable in near future

  • feedback

goal orientation

• reason we pursue goals

  • mastery goals vs. performance goals

  • approach vs. avoidance goals

  • work avoidance goals

  • social goals

performance goal

• personal intention to look smart to others (getting good grades, “winning,” looking good to others)

mastery goal

• focus on individual development and learning

• mastering the content

approach vs. avoidance

• approach mastery or avoid misunderstanding

• approach performance or avoid looking incompetent

work-avoidant learners

• students who don’t want to learn or look smart, but just want to avoid work

• contextual influences

  • students’ personal goal orientations align with norms and goal structures teachers use in class

  • what does the student find reinforcing?

social goals

• reasons why students interact/refrain from interacting with others

  • some social goals relate to learning, while others impede learning

  • schools provide opps for nonacademic pursuits like athletics, dating, friends

  • students may pursue several, often competing, goals at once

• avoid directly comparing students or putting them against each other

attribution theories

• descriptions of how individuals’ explanations, justifications, and excuses influence their motivation and emotion

  • locus

  • stability

  • controlability

• attributional dimensions have implications for motivation

locus dimension of attribution

• where’s the cause?

• internal or external to the person

stability dimension of attribution

• change over time? yes → unstable, no → stable

• whether cause is same across time and different situations

controllability dimension of attribution

• whether the person can control the cause

• can I do anything about it? yes → controllable, no → uncontrollable

fixed mindset

• belief that abilities are stable, unchanging traits

growth mindset

• belief that abilities are unstable, improvable

encouraging a healthy mindset

• provide psychoed about learning and growth mindset

• present self as a learning resource, not a judge

• give feedback

• give constructive and focused criticism

situational interest

• short-lived aspects of an activity, text, materials

individual (personal) interest

• long-lasting, enduring interest

curiosity

• arises when students’ attention is focused on resolving uncertainty, to fill a gap in knowledge

• guidelines

  • relate current objectives to student experiences

  • use humor, anecdotes, show human side of content

  • use OG source material

  • ask students to predict

encouraging student motivation

• create authentic tasks

• increase perceived relevance and utility

• enhance curiosity, interest, intrinsic value

• support autonomy

• build confidence and positive expectations

• provide structures to support progress

• inclusive opps

• bring family into motivation process