EduPsych-Chapter Ten Motivation: Confidence, Values, and Needs

Social Cognitive Theory

• Theoretical perspective that addresses learning and motivation

• Students learn by observing others, develop confidence, and take control of their behaviorconfidence, and take control of their behavior

Motivation

• Drives behavior towards goals

• Benefits:

  • Leads to increased effort and energy

  • Encourages initiation of tasks even when facing obstacles

• Affects cognitive processing

  • Focus and attention

General Principles

• All students are motivated in some way

• School motivation influenced by:

  • Cognitive factors

  • Sociocultural factors

  • Evolves over time

• Classroom environment significantly impacts:

  • Motivation to learn

  • Achievement drive

Intrinsic Motivation

• Engaging in tasks for enjoyment and interest

• Benefits:

  • Willingness to tackle tasks

  • Eagerness to learn

  • Effective information processing

  • Higher achievement levels ver time
    • Can coexist with extrinsic motivation

• Common in young children

• Decreases over time

• Can coexist with extrinsic motivation• Decreases o

Extrinsic Motivation

• Engaging in a task for reward or to avoid
  punishment

• Characteristics:

  • May need enticement to learn or complete
    tasks

  • Often process information superficially

  • Prefer easy tasks

  • Focus on minimum requirements
    • Can coexist with intrinsic motivation

• Increases with age

• Can coexist with intrinsic motivation

Motivational Framing

• Key questions:

  • Can I do this?

  • Do I want to do this?

  • Will doing this meet my needs?

• Answers influence motivation and engagement

Basic Assumptions of Social Cognitive Theory

• Learning occurs through observation

• Learning is internal, may not change behavior

• Cognition impacts motivation and learning

• Reciprocal influence between people and
  environments

Modeling

• Demonstrates behavior for observer to imitate

• Mirror neurons support imitation

• Motivation is required to imitate modeled behavior

Possible Models

• Live models

  • Real people we observe doing something

• Symbolic models

  • Real or fictional characters portrayed in books, films,
    etc.

• • Verbal instruction
  – Descriptions of how to successfully execute certain
  behaviors

Behaviors and Skills Learned Through Modeling

• Academic skills

• Cognitive approaches to tasks

• Aggressive behaviors

• Emotional responses (fear)

• Positive interpersonal behaviors

• Prosocial traits (generosity, benevolence)

Characteristics of Effective Models

• Competence

• Prestige and power

• Behavior relevant to the learner’s own situation

Conditions for Successful Modeling

1. Attention: focus on model’s behavior

2. Retention: remember the modeled actions

3. Motor Reproduction: physically capable of
   performing the behavior

4. Motivation: reason to imitate the behavior

Promoting Learning Through Modeling

• Capture attention

• Describe actions

• Use descriptive labels to encourage self-repetition

• Immediate practice

• Guidance and feedback

• Show how skills apply to their own lives

• Invite professionals to demonstrate skills

• Show videos of experts performing tasks

• Highlight positive role models

• Feature models who challenge gender norms

• Include both competent children and adults as
  role models

Self-Efficacy

• Belief in one’s ability to succeed at a task

• Self-efficacy influences:

  • Choice of activities

  • Goals

  • Effort and persistence

  • Learning and achievement

• Some (not too much) overconfidence can be beneficial

Factors Influencing Self-Efficacy

1. Past successes/failures

2. Current emotional state

3. Messages from others

4. Others’ successes/failures (especially similar peers)rs)

5. Group success/failures: collective self-efficacy
   5. Group success/failures: collective self-efficacy

Fostering Productive Self-Efficacy Levels

• Teach basic knowledge and skills to mastery

• Assure students they can be successful

• Point out others like them who have been successful

• Model successful peer performance

• Help students track progress

• Present effort-based success opportunities

• Use collaborative groups for challenging tasks

• Encourage short-term (proximal) goal setting

• Address unrealistic overconfidence with accurate self-
  assessment

Teacher Self-Efficacy

• Teachers’ belief in ability to help students succeed

• Benefits:

  • Willing to experiment with new strategies

  • Sets higher expectations and goals

  • Greater effort in teaching

  • Persistent in helping students

  • Manage effective behaviors management

Facilitating Productive Teacher Self-Efficacy

• Collaborate with other teachers

• Seek constructive feedback

• Keep students engaged

• Be willing to critically examine and change your practices

Reinforcement and Punishment

• Key idea: awareness is crucial

• Consequences (reinforcement and punishment) affect
  behavior only when learners understand link between
  actions and outcomes

  • Response–consequence contingency

• Outcome expectations: learners act to maximize desired
  results

• Expectations about future consequences drive behavior

  • Not always based on past experiences

  • Vicarious reinforcement or punishment (observing
    others

• Expectations shape how learners process new
  information

• Nonoccurrence matters

• Missing reinforcement can punish

  • No expected sticker  stops behavior

• Missing punishment can reinforce

  • No expected penalty  repeats behavior

Expectancies and Values

• Expectancy: belief in potential for success

• Influenced by

  • Prior success/failure

  • Perceived task difficulty

  • Resources/support availability

  • Quality of instruction

  • Necessary effort

• Value: perceived benefit of task

• Influenced by:

  • Utility: usefulness

  • mportance: personal connection

  • Interest

  • Cost: what the student has to give up

• Engagement is when one has expectation of
  success and value

Fostering Expectancies and Values in the Classroom

• Identify specific knowledge/skills students will
  acquire

• Show how concepts explain the world around
  them

• Ask students to write about relevance

• Connect to present concerns and future goals

• Embed new skills in authentic, meaningful
  activities

• Demonstrate your own appreciation for academic
  activities

• Share real-world applications and prompt student
  reflection

• Avoid activities lacking long-term value

Forms of Intrinsic Motivation

• Situational interest

  • Triggered by immediate environment

  • Grabs attention

  • May lead to personal interest

    • Science teacher performs chemical
      experiment

• • Personal interest

  • Long-term, stable preference

  • Connecting content sustains engagement

    • Music-loving student learns an instrument
      and explores music theory

Promoting Interest in Classroom Subjectatter

• Show enthusiasm for lesson usefulness

• Add novelty, variety, fantasy, or mystery

• Encourage students to relate to historical/fictional
  figures

• Connect assignments to personal interests

• Allow active participation

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

• Maslow suggested need for safety
  must be met before need for
  esteem

  • No evidence confirms this
    theory

• Some needs take priority over
  others depending on situations

Optimal Arousal Theory

• People seek a balance of stimulation

• Optimal arousal levels vary by person

  • Some are physical sensation-seekers
    – Some prefer cognitive arousal

Self-Determination Theory

*Intrinsic motivation: when all 3 needs are met

Need for Competence

• Belief in one’s abilities

• Desire to protect self-worth

• Seek approval and success, avoid failure

  • Can undermine one’s chance of succes

Enhancing Students’ Sense of Competence

Encourage genuine success with realistic
challenges
• Avoid hollow praise
• Provide ways to track progress
• Minimize competitions and comparison with peers
• Support nonacademic success

Need for Autonomy

• Desire for choice and self-direction

• Leads to intrinsic motivation

• Supports high achievement and graduation rates

Enhancing Students’ Sense of Autonomy

• Encourage independent work and decision making

• Use informational, not controlling instructions

• Offer choices in goal achievement

• Ensure autonomy for all students

Need for Relatedness

• Need for social connection, love, and respect of
  others

• Develops through peers, school, and community

• Fosters sense of belonging

Enhancing Students’ Sense of Relatedness and School Belonging

• Integrate peer interaction into academics

• Show care for students’ success and well-being

• Express respect and appreciation for students

Diversity in Addressing Needs

• Some prioritize self-improvement over self-praise

• Some give children a lot of control over decision
  making

• Some value approval, others prioritize community
  or family