Data analysis report, WP6.9, AU
In the previous report we described how our final TP builds on the collection of
background and resource data from three sources:
1) Establishing the need to enhance teachers’ capacities to motivate (student
perspectives and/or teachers’ perspectives. Empirical data from researchers’ PhD.
Projects)
2) Providing new source material for our training package
A. Developmental teachers’ reflective essays on motivation
B. Classroom videos and Lecture plans from developmental teachers
Roughly speaking, one can say that the first kind of data collection has provided a
rationale and emphasis for our TP. The last two kinds of data has triangulated and slightly
adjusted the first emphasis, even though the data collection here was intended only to get
instances of practice (planning and enacting science education) to enter into our training
package as exemplars of practice or to facilitate discussion in the TP-workshops. Major
parts of the analysis and implications of the first kind of data already have been outlined
in the Methodology and Evaluation Document.
The present report will be structured according to the Data Collection Report, which
means that analyses and the most important results will be discussed for each data source
separately.
1. Data-analysis to establish the needs to enhance teachers’ capacities to
motivate.
Data collection in relation to recent PhD-studies have informed our TP-design (Andersen,
2007; Krogh, 2006):
 Andersen (Andersen, 2007) collected data in relation to an interdisciplinary
(chemistry, biology) development project in upper secondary school (htx, “Technical
Gymnasium”) in DK. Students from 10 classes (N approx. 250) were followed
through one academic year. The full sample completed questionnaires on interests,
perceptions of instruction and thematic content, conceptions of learning etc. A thick
description of students and instructional practices were established for three classes.
This included repeated student interviews, classroom observation, and video-takes of
students’ IBSE-oriented practical work and project work.
This mixed methods approach called for a pragmatic choice of multiple analytic
approaches:
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The questionnaires were analyzed using standard statistical methods within
the SAS 9.1 software package. Means, group means, ANOVA’s, Pearson
correlations, and clustering procedures were frequent.
Student interview transcripts were analyzed using the Atlas.ti software
package.
Classroom Video’s were also analyzed within Atlas.ti allowing hermeneutic
theory-building through interrelating of video instances, video transcripts, and
interview instances.
Most importantly, it was found that students’ motivation in the school science context
could be largely understood in terms of Self-Determination Theory (SDT, (Deci &
Ryan, 2002), with its emphasis on students’ sense of Relatedness, Autonomy, and
Competence. In particular the Autonomy-dimension was found to influence students’
motivation. Generally, IBSE oriented approaches balancing student Autonomy and
Learning Environment Structure tended to be motivational favorable. Teachers
seemed to be largely un-aware of the motivational importance and implications of this
dimension and its complex interaction with students’ sense of Competence.
Relatedness was never designed for by teachers and only accidentally accomplished
by students.

Krogh (Krogh, 2006) integrated a series of studies from physics in upper secondary
school (stx, “General Gymnasium”):
o longitudinal survey-study of physics students (N=781) in first and second year
of upper secondary school. Emphasis on students’ attitudes, and how these
are shaped by instructional choices and cultural border crossings. Results have
been reported in (Krogh & Thomsen, 2005)
o web-based survey study of students’ general value-structure (N= 341),
pursuing value-orientations as motivational filters and drives.
o Integrative study of The Ethos of School Physics, using multiple data sources,
including textbook analysis.
o Two years of action research inquiring how students’ values/other life worlds
influence their engagement with science, their instructional preferences etc.
Thick description of students from one class in upper secondary physics
(N=26).
Again, a number of different analytic approaches were applied.
o survey data were analyzed in standardized ways in SAS 9.1 (including factor
analysis, and multiple regression procedures)
o text-book analysis was conducted using an innovative new framework The
Ethos of School Physics Analysis (TESSA). This framework was developed
for analysis of student affordances in the classroom, using multiple types af
empirical input. Obviously, it was re-operationalized for textbook analysis.
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o rich data from the action research (e.g. interview transcripts) were analyzed by
interpretive methods (e.g. using Atlas.ti).
The most TP-relevant findings were:
 Factor analysis of survey data on students’ general values revealed 5 important
value-orientations among urban youth in upper secondary school:
o Relations (two orientations),
 ‘togetherness’
 ‘identity-building’
o Autonomy/Self-Direction
o Knowledge-Performance/Competence
o Potentiation (exciting and stimulating experiences)
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According to value-theory such orientations are motivational constructs that guide
students’ actions and choices in context. It can be argued that the first 4 of these
correspond to the motivational “inner needs” of Self-Determination Theory. The
research adds a situational component Potentiation to the SDT needs, but
otherwise serves as an independent validation of this theory’s relevance for the
description of modernized youth.
The TESSA analysis based on all available empirical data from the Danish setting
on subject Physics showed a marked orientation towards Epistemological closure
(e.g. verification of pre-established theories following cook-book procedures),
One-sided Communication (e.g. authoritative teacher monologue or IRE“dialogue”), a learning design emphasizing students’ individual work, a choice of
content and subject approaches creating distance and strangeness to students’ lifeworlds, and finally a preference for addressing motivational problems with
cognitive means. All aspects indicate that there are problems with IBSE- and
motivational approaches in physics.
Supplementary TESSA analysis demonstrated that school science subjects come
in different flavors. Biology-teachers tend to design for motivation through social
and varied learning opportunities, while physics teachers would rather provide
challenge and cognitive drives. Neither of the two groups of teachers gave priority
to activities with a high degree of student autonomy, e.g. IBSE-oriented
approaches to practical work, e.g. open inquiry, problem-based learning or
project-organized work.
Together these data collections have informed our TP-design in the following aspects:
Theoretical/motivational emphasis:
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Science teachers tend to have very restricted motivational thinking and practices,
derived from experience and craft-knowledge only. This suggests that introducing
them to some propositional knowledge (“motivational theory”) may be beneficial.
The ways in which teachers organize their learning environment, their
communicative approaches, and the epistemological practices they implement in
school sciences are major influences on students’ sense of autonomy, competence,
and relatedness.
Improving teachers’ motivational awareness, reflexivity and practice within these
areas might be the best way to improve students’ interest in school sciences
Motivational benefits from the students’ perspective.
The most relevant motivational theories emphasize students’ sense of autonomy,
competence, relatedness. This suggests that Self-Determination Theory and the
competence-oriented Efficacy-theory of Bandura (Bandura, 1997) should be
introduced.
IBSE-oriented approaches are easily aligned with SDT motivational emphases.
This potential should be stressed through the use of course activities, examples,
and tasks.
Organization:
The variety of science subject flavors suggests that teachers may benefit from
discussions with teachers from other science subjects.
2A. Developmental teachers’ reflective essays on motivation
As a part of their preparation for the trail version TPver1 the eight developmental
teachers from different science subjects wrote an essay about why students’
motivation is important and what kind of strategies they use to motivate students.
Further, they described a Good and a Bad Motivational Case from their own
classroom.
Good and Bad Motivational Cases:
Case+: Describe a critical situation from your own teaching, where the students
were very motivated. What was so motivating for students in that situation?
Case-: Describe a critical situation from your own teaching, where the students
were not motivated? What reasons were there for their lack of motivation? What
could you possibly have done to change the situation?
These essays indicate teachers’ initial ideas about students’ motivation and how
teaching can stimulate or inhibit students’ motivation. They were analysed and used
to characterise individual teachers’ ideas about motivation.
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Table 1 shows that all eight teachers comment on the importance of the topic for
students’ motivation and most teachers point to the motivational effect of relevance
and students’ everyday life. On the other hand it has a negative effect if the topic is
very theoretical or involves much mathematics (in physics) or chemistry (in
biology). Most of the teachers also points to exiting activities as a vehicle for
students’ motivation. These activities can differ, but most often teachers point to the
inclusion of experimental work. Further, most of the teachers emphasize the
importance of a varied use of teaching methods. Several teachers mention the
negative motivational effect of science being a difficult subject, but only a single
teacher sees students’ self-efficacy as an important aspect of students’ motivation in
science. Less than half the teachers mention the learning environment and teacher’s
interaction with the students as aspects having influence on students’ motivation
and only a single teacher mention the motivational effect of students having
influence on choice of topic and learning activities.
When these teachers think about students’ motivation they primarily focus on
interesting and relevant topics and how they can include exiting activities, primarily
experiments. This is a rather narrow conception of how to motivate students,
compared to the multiple strategies targetted by recent interventions (e.g. (Martin,
2008).
Our analysis of teachers’ essay writing has reassured some of our TP-intentions
based on the previous Ph.D. findings:

Teachers tend to have a narrow range of motivational strategies, and several
vital aspects seem to be completely or almost absent from their thinking.
This suggests a multi-dimensional TP-intervention, with the introduction of
several motivational theories.
o autonomy and relatedness and how these aspects can be utilized for
motivational purposes are absent – suggesting that these vital aspects be
included in the TP.
o Similarly, there is a need to stress the motivational importance of
students’ self-efficacy and enhance teachers’ capacities to support
students’ self-efficacy within science.
Our essay-analysis has led to the addition of the motivational effects of topics and
tasks to our TP – taking seriously teachers’ emphasis on these aspects (e.g. CatchHold theory, e.g. the concept of Task Value from Expectancy-Value theory).
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Table 1. Teachers’ initial ideas about factors influencing students’ motivation (positive effect, negative effect)
Kirsten
(Female
teacher)
Topic and
curriculum
emphasis
Exiting and
relevant topic.
Manhattan
Project –
interesting
story
Kristen
(Male
teacher)
Everyday
physics. History
of physics
Students’ own
experiments
and
presentations
Katrine
(Female
teacher)
Topics of
relevance ex.
their own body.
Hardcore
subject matter.
Chemistry in
biology
Lack of subject
relevance
Testing of blood Humoristic and
type, special
responsive. Not
knowledge
an oracle
about their own
body
Karsten
(Male
teacher)
Students’ selfefficacy
Exiting
activities
Students’ selfefficacy and
ability to
master subject
matter.
Difficult
subjects, former
experience
Students give
lectures on
topics of own
interest
Teacher’s role
Learning
environment
Supporting
students with
lack of selfefficacy
Safety and
comfort
Engaged and
well prepared
Organisation
of the lesson
External
factors
Students’ effort
and persistence
Variation in
activities
Students must
Didactic
have a feeling of teaching
belonging –
social and
professional
Influence on
choice of topic
or activity.
Same module in
several classes –
standard
teaching
Variation in
culture and
competences.
Anti-social
students
Inconvenient
lesson hours
A desire for high
marks
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Majken
(Female
teacher)
Bjarning
(Male
teacher)
Mette
(Female
teacher)
Lotte
(Female
teacher)
Topic and
curriculum
emphasis
Students’ everyday
knowledge and
interests.
Some aspects are
necessary, but not
interesting for the
students
Relevance for
students’ everyday
life. Green energy
technology. Utility
of science.
Mathematical
derivation in physics
Students’ everyday
life. Topics of
interest
Theoretical
approach
Students’ everyday
life.
Theory
Students’
selfefficacy
Exiting activities
Teacher’s
role
Learning
environment
Organisation
of the lesson
External
factors
Experimental
work. Play and
physical activity.
Small competitions
between groups of
students
Show interest
in students’
learning.
Formative
feedback.
Fascination of
the subject
Good
atmosphere
and comfort in
the classroom.
Social and
professional
relationship
Variation in
activities
according to
learning stiles
External
motivation
Inconvenient
lesson hours.
Use of
computers
Variation in
activities.
Active students
Inconvenient
lesson hours
Variation in
activities. Good
structure.
Active students.
Visualisation
Demand and
registration of
students’
presence
Astronomy nights
with students as
presenters
(experts). Small
experiments and
activities
Difficult
theory
Students work
with their own
experiments
Chemistry is
a difficult
subject. It is
not
interesting,
if you don’t
understand
Independent work
and own
experiments. But
activities doesn’t
always stimulate
students’
motivation to
understand
Personal
relationship
Demand and
registration of
students’
presence
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2B. Classroom (and workshop) videos with developmental teachers
Video data was collected from the trials of TPve1 with a developmental group of 8
teachers from various science subjects. They include:
 2 classroom video-sessions with each teacher trialing/enacting motivational
approaches (approx. 3 hour video tape with each teacher)
 4 video-taped workshop-sessions where teachers presented and discussed
instances/issues of motivational practice. 2 of these workshops were conducted as
Video Clubs where teachers presented selected video clips from their own practice
and for the purpose of shared reflection.
Our data-analysis here reflects one of our purposes for collecting these video data: we
wanted authentic video documentation to use as source for design of activities and
discussions within the extended and redesigned TPve2.
Consequently, our video analysis will focus on identifying “golden” video clips of value
for teachers in the TP-context. The analysis is just at its onset, and the analytic
framework is still in the making. Clearly, a deliberate analytic search through the videos
calls for rationales, categories, and quality criteria of video clips for teacher training
purposes. From theoretical considerations we have arrived at the following tentative
classification of attractive video clips:
Clip Category
1. Best Practice
Rationale
Explication of Best
Practice.
Exemplars for
inspiration
Vicarious experiences
Structure
Single clip
2.
Critical
Motivational
Incidents
3.
Student
Motivation
Awareness
Motivational
awareness
Single clip
4.
Enacting elements
of motivational
theories (SDT,
Self-efficacy, taskvalue etc).
Teachers’
reflection-onaction
Prof. development
(PD)
Theory-in-action
discussion
Vicarious experiences
PD
Vicarious experiences
Single clip
Reflective
contrasts &
Reflection-on-action &
discussion
Composite
5.
6.
Single clip
(additional
source
framing)
Composite
(additional
source video)
(a number of
Tentative Characteristics
-Normative by nature. May tend
to dampen critical discussion.
-Difficult to find (even with an
explicit normative system)
-May have either student, teacher
or interaction focus.
-A situation where motivation is
either recreated, reassured or
slips away.
-Clip should communicate enough
context to enable discussion of
why the outcome was produced.
-Student focus.
-Emphasis on potential
motivational indicators and the
diagnosis of individual students’
motivational states.
-theoretical focus
-needs framing through
statements of teachers’ intentions
from e.g. lesson plans or
workshop presentations
-Primary focus: teacher workshop
focus
- Sec. focus: Classroom incident as
object for reflection
-Thematically organized clips to
facilitate reflection and discussion
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distinctions
clips)
(e.g. discourse and uptake)
As part of our analysis we will try to detail the characteristics of each type of useful
clips. We imagine, that such work will be beneficial to future development of video
supported teacher training – and consider studying the differential effects of various
types and framings on teachers’ practices.
The most concrete TP-result of this effort will be the inclusion of a number of videosupported exercises/activities in our revised TPve2. Our aim is to construct and
include useful videos from the widest range of video-categories possible.
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Data, analysemetoder
Resultater og findings
Hvordan resultaterne har konsekvens for designet af vores training package
Pre-data: Hvad er det vi har fundet i vores ph.d. arbejder (Lars)
Lærernes essays. Hvorfor er motivation vigtigt, strategier ift, at motivere eleverne.
Undervisning, der motiverer og eksempler på konkrete cases, hvor undervisningen
eleverne har været motiverede/demotiverede (good and bad case) (Hanne intro
skrivning om opgaven, analysen af deres skriverier resulterende i tabellen,
overvejelsen i forhold til tabellen)
Videoer fra lærernes undervisning. Udvælgelse kriterier for det gode videoclip.
Konkret indhold i forhold til hvordan motivationsteorier kan implementeres i
practice.
 Motivational Practice1 – her sker der noget på motivationsfronten (Vicarious
experiences - enacting2) eller
 Grundlag for Reflectioner (reflection - flere praksiser overfor hinanden eller
refleksion over hvad er den alternative practice)3.
 Skærpet opmærksomhed og videoer, og clips der illustrerer elevmotivation.
Forskellige typer af læreres behov.
Grad af framming, hvad er vinklen/forhistorien både i forhold til
undervisningssituationen og lærerens tænkning om god og motiverende
undervisning
Udvælgelse af clips, der kan bruges til afprøvning af formatet for formidlings-clips
/kursusmateriale (refleksionsopgaver)
Ikke best practice
Clack and Holingworth
3 Task value – hverdagserfaringer (Kristen). Autonomi og kontrol (Bjarning og
Kirsten)
1
2
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