Chapter 3 Summary
What Motivates Students to Learn?
Like the first two chapters, chapter three opens with two scenarios that introduce a new learning principle. The third learning principle is about motivation. A student’s level of motivation directly correlates to how hard they will try and what they will do to learn (Ambrose, Bridges, DiPietro, Lovett, & Norman, 2010). Motivation has two parts – the subjective value of the end goal and the expectations for reaching that goal (Ambrose et al., 2010). If a student has no interest in the material, doesn’t see anything in it for them, or doesn’t think they will succeed, then they are less likely to engage (Ambrose et al., 2010). I frequently have to motivate my sixth grader to do his work so I will use working with him as my main example for this chapter. It is easier to motivate him when there is something he can earn by doing well. For example, this past week I knew that going to his friend’s birthday party this weekend was the most important thing to him. So, I dangled that carrot in front of him all week long to motivate him to complete and turn in homework, wear his glasses, and even start a project early. To him, going to that party was of very high value and he was willing to do anything (in this case, the work) to reach that end goal. He has straight A’s which is a huge testament to how highly a motivated student will perform.
Research and Implications
The research discussed in this chapter serves as backup to the methods that I employ at home. First, let's examine goals.
Goals
In my previous example, the end goal of going to the birthday party was the reason that my stepson did all of his work and focused at school last week. Granted, his end goal was much different than mine, as my goal is for him to be a good student and earn good grades. There are all types of goals, such as performance, learning, work-avoidant, affective, and social goals (Ambrose et al., 2010). To expand on this, performance goals are centered around being perceived as competent, learning goals lead learners to gain a deep understanding, work-avoidant goals are to finish quickly with minimal effort, affective goals center around being stimulated, and social goals involve things like making friends or networking (Ambrose et al., 2010). The more goals a learning activity satisfies, the more successful a student will be (Ambrose et al., 2010). To throw in a work example, I occasionally have lunch with an old friend that is also a co-worker for several reasons. It is nice to catch up and network outside of my department (social goals), to discuss what is going on in her department and learn more about the company (learning goal), and to remain ‘in the loop’ at work (performance-approach goal).
Value
In addition to how goals motivate people, the importance of that goal (subjective value) is the driving factor on how hard someone will work to attain that goal (Ambrose et al., 2010). There are several types of value and they are attainment, intrinsic, and instrumental (Ambrose et al., 2010). An example of attainment value might be how my stepson will play a new video game for hours on end to try and beat the game for that sense of achievement. An example of intrinsic value might be a school project in which students create their own piece of a quilt without much care for the quilt as a whole. They enjoy doing their part and feel accomplished by coloring their square. Instrumental value is a little more complex, as it is when achieving a particular goal helps you achieve other goals (Ambrose et al., 2010). A good example of this is that I have a goal to further my education. That hinges on passing this class, which is instrumental to me moving forward in the program and earning a Master’s degree in Education Technology.
Expectancies
The last key to motivation is expectancies, which means that humans are motivated toward accomplishing realistic goals; if they do not believe they can do it then they will not attempt to do so (Ambrose et al., 2010). Ambrose et al. introduce the terms positive outcome expectancies and efficacy expectancies, the first meaning that certain actions will lead to success and the second meaning that a student believes they are capable of performing those actions (Ambrose et al., 2010). In working on motivating a pre-teen boy, I frequently have to help him change the negative thoughts of “I can’t do this” into “I can do this!” With some extra math tutoring last year, he understood math, earned better grades, and regained confidence. The confidence in turn helped him gain a positive outcome expectancy and efficacy expectancy that helps him continue to be successful in sixth grade. Also important to note is that this is all impacted by whether there is a supportive or non-supportive environment (Ambrose et al., 2010).
All of the factors, when put together, can cause different reactions (Ambrose et al., 2010). A student may reject learning if they don’t care about the goal and don’t think they can achieve the goal even if they are in a supportive environment (Ambrose et al., 2010). A student may evade learning, or do just enough to get by, if they don’t care about the goal but the task is easy (Ambrose et al., 2010). Students could even see value in a goal but if they lack confidence they may feel hopeless or fragile (Ambrose et al., 2010). Other possible outcomes are if a student sees the value and has the confidence, they may be defiant if they feel the environment isn’t supportive or they may be motivated if the environment is supportive (Ambrose et al., 2010).
This research tells us that there are a lot of moving factors in motivating people to learn (Ambrose et al., 2010). As educators, we need to recognize that a defiant student will become motivated if they are provided some encouragement, for example (Ambrose et al., 2010). To summarize, a confident student that sees value in the goals and is in a supportive environment will say, "I can do it!"
Goals
In my previous example, the end goal of going to the birthday party was the reason that my stepson did all of his work and focused at school last week. Granted, his end goal was much different than mine, as my goal is for him to be a good student and earn good grades. There are all types of goals, such as performance, learning, work-avoidant, affective, and social goals (Ambrose et al., 2010). To expand on this, performance goals are centered around being perceived as competent, learning goals lead learners to gain a deep understanding, work-avoidant goals are to finish quickly with minimal effort, affective goals center around being stimulated, and social goals involve things like making friends or networking (Ambrose et al., 2010). The more goals a learning activity satisfies, the more successful a student will be (Ambrose et al., 2010). To throw in a work example, I occasionally have lunch with an old friend that is also a co-worker for several reasons. It is nice to catch up and network outside of my department (social goals), to discuss what is going on in her department and learn more about the company (learning goal), and to remain ‘in the loop’ at work (performance-approach goal).
Value
In addition to how goals motivate people, the importance of that goal (subjective value) is the driving factor on how hard someone will work to attain that goal (Ambrose et al., 2010). There are several types of value and they are attainment, intrinsic, and instrumental (Ambrose et al., 2010). An example of attainment value might be how my stepson will play a new video game for hours on end to try and beat the game for that sense of achievement. An example of intrinsic value might be a school project in which students create their own piece of a quilt without much care for the quilt as a whole. They enjoy doing their part and feel accomplished by coloring their square. Instrumental value is a little more complex, as it is when achieving a particular goal helps you achieve other goals (Ambrose et al., 2010). A good example of this is that I have a goal to further my education. That hinges on passing this class, which is instrumental to me moving forward in the program and earning a Master’s degree in Education Technology.
Expectancies
The last key to motivation is expectancies, which means that humans are motivated toward accomplishing realistic goals; if they do not believe they can do it then they will not attempt to do so (Ambrose et al., 2010). Ambrose et al. introduce the terms positive outcome expectancies and efficacy expectancies, the first meaning that certain actions will lead to success and the second meaning that a student believes they are capable of performing those actions (Ambrose et al., 2010). In working on motivating a pre-teen boy, I frequently have to help him change the negative thoughts of “I can’t do this” into “I can do this!” With some extra math tutoring last year, he understood math, earned better grades, and regained confidence. The confidence in turn helped him gain a positive outcome expectancy and efficacy expectancy that helps him continue to be successful in sixth grade. Also important to note is that this is all impacted by whether there is a supportive or non-supportive environment (Ambrose et al., 2010).
All of the factors, when put together, can cause different reactions (Ambrose et al., 2010). A student may reject learning if they don’t care about the goal and don’t think they can achieve the goal even if they are in a supportive environment (Ambrose et al., 2010). A student may evade learning, or do just enough to get by, if they don’t care about the goal but the task is easy (Ambrose et al., 2010). Students could even see value in a goal but if they lack confidence they may feel hopeless or fragile (Ambrose et al., 2010). Other possible outcomes are if a student sees the value and has the confidence, they may be defiant if they feel the environment isn’t supportive or they may be motivated if the environment is supportive (Ambrose et al., 2010).
This research tells us that there are a lot of moving factors in motivating people to learn (Ambrose et al., 2010). As educators, we need to recognize that a defiant student will become motivated if they are provided some encouragement, for example (Ambrose et al., 2010). To summarize, a confident student that sees value in the goals and is in a supportive environment will say, "I can do it!"
Recommended Strategies
There are many, many strategies educators can use to help establish value, so will discuss just a few from the book (Ambrose et al., 2010). One way is to tie the material back to something that interests the student (Ambrose et al., 2010). Also, whenever possible, tie the material to how it relates to the real world (Ambrose et al., 2010). It is much easier to relate to real life examples and scenarios than to high level theory. I also find that students pick up on passion and excitement teacher may have about a particular subject (Ambrose et al., 2010).
In addition to establishing value, educators can also help students with positive expectancies (Ambrose et al., 2010). Things like setting challenging but realistic goals, starting with small assignments that help build confidence and then work your way up, being fair (provide rubrics, be clear on expectations), and giving clear feedback will help you set your students up for success (Ambrose et al., 2010).
One way to address both values and expectancies is to give students choices so they have some control over pursuing their goals (Ambrose et al., 2010). For example, my stepson's teacher let him pick between doing a book report, poster, or memory box after he finished his silent reading book. He picked the book report because he loves to write and has won writing contests in the past. You could also have a debrief session, which is a discussion around what they learned, what part was most valuable, what do they need to work on, etc.. (Ambrose et al., 2010).
In addition to establishing value, educators can also help students with positive expectancies (Ambrose et al., 2010). Things like setting challenging but realistic goals, starting with small assignments that help build confidence and then work your way up, being fair (provide rubrics, be clear on expectations), and giving clear feedback will help you set your students up for success (Ambrose et al., 2010).
One way to address both values and expectancies is to give students choices so they have some control over pursuing their goals (Ambrose et al., 2010). For example, my stepson's teacher let him pick between doing a book report, poster, or memory box after he finished his silent reading book. He picked the book report because he loves to write and has won writing contests in the past. You could also have a debrief session, which is a discussion around what they learned, what part was most valuable, what do they need to work on, etc.. (Ambrose et al., 2010).
VoiceThread
I created the following using VoiceThread.com. A good way to motivate students to learn is to make it enjoyable. Incorporating technology into your teachings is a fun way to do that. Listen to the VoiceThread to learn and please share your comments as well.
References:
Ambrose, S. A., Bridges, M. W., DiPietro, M., Lovett, M. C. & Norman, M. K. (2010). How Learning Works: 7 Research-Based Principles for Smart Teaching. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Ambrose, S. A., Bridges, M. W., DiPietro, M., Lovett, M. C. & Norman, M. K. (2010). How Learning Works: 7 Research-Based Principles for Smart Teaching. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.