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 10:0011:50
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
stable
(Yes?)
(unstable?)
“The test was
hard”
External
No
stable
“I had bad
luck”
External
No
unstable
Task
Difficulty
Luck
Our View of AbilityEffects 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
Unstable
- I can
improve
Task
Difficulty
Luck
“The test was
hard”
External
Yes- I need
new
strategies
No
“I guessed
wrong”
External
No
unstable
stable
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.
Influence on Behavior and Cognition
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
Give up when goals
aren’t initially reached aren’t reached
Beliefs
Will succeed
In control
Incompetence
Not 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
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
Basis for
satisfaction
Learn something
new
Progress, challenge,
mastery
Evaluation
criteria
Interpretation
of errors
Concept of
Ability
High grades, demonstrate
ability
Doing better than others,
Success with min. effort
Social comparisons
Evidence of
progress
Information, part of Failure, lack of ability
the learning process
Incremental,
Entity, fixed
improves with effort
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