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Motivation. Thinking About Motivation. Motivation. Motivation: DEFINITION: From the Latin verb movere (to move). Motivation is the process whereby goal-directed activity is instigated and sustained. Why do students set and sustain goals?. One Part of the Answer:. The Ideal Self
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Motivation Thinking About Motivation
Motivation • Motivation: DEFINITION: From the Latin verb movere (to move). • Motivation is the process whereby goal-directed activity is instigated and sustained. • Why do students set and sustain goals?
One Part of the Answer: • The Ideal Self • Goals are about where we want to be. • which goals we set • which goals we value • and which goals we keep working at. • Goals are related to who we WANT TO BE.
The other part: The Actual Self • Who students think they are affects what they want. • Self-Efficacy (whether or not they are capable of achieving a goal) • Things that effect self-efficacy: • Mastery experiences • Vicarious experience (models) • Verbal persuasion Albert Bandura
Moving From the Actual to the Ideal For many students there is a discrepancy between who they are and who they want to become… • …it can be motivating • if students think they can change. • if they can make connections between the present and the future. • …or devastating • if students don’t think they can change • if they are too focused on the present.
Connecting Present to Future • Future time perspective (FTP) is the degree to which and the way in which the chronological future is integrated into the present life-space of an individual through motivational goal-setting processes. • Perceived instrumentality is an individual’s understanding of the instrumental value of a present behavior for future goals (Van Calster, Lens, & Nuttin, 1987).
Why do students think they can or can’t change? • Beliefs about Ability! • Incremental = Your ability changes over time • Entity = Your ability is set at birth • Beliefs about Ability lead to goal orientations. • Incremental = Mastery • Entity = Performance
Mastery vs. Performance • Mastery goal orientation (Good) • Students are mostly concerned with mastering the task at hand • Failure suggests areas for improvement – can be motivating. • Performance goal orientation (Bad) • Students are mostly concerned with doing better than others • Student fears that failure indicates something about their ABILITY to do the task.
Why would someone want to master the task? • Mastery is INTRINSICALLY motivating • Intrinsic motivation: wanting to do something just because it is—in and of itself—enjoyable! • Why are things enjoyable? • Interest • Competence • Curiosity • Relatedness • Autonomy
What Hurts Intrinsic Motivation? • Controlling rewards • Threats and deadlines • Evaluation and surveillance Rule of thumb: If someone else made you – it’s not intrinsic motivation – it’s EXTRINSIC motivation.
What’s wrong with Extrinsic Motivation? It’s EXTRINSIC
How do I support student motivation through writing? • Application Essay • Students need to make connections to their own lives. • Students need to make those connections themselves. • Group Essays • Tuesday – lecture (1.5 hrs): Students write essay questions concerning the weeks set of readings. • Thursday—Groupwork (1.5 hrs): • Students assigned to 4-5 person groups, work together each week. • I take students’ questions from Tuesday and construct 5 questions for Thursday group assignment. • Each group completes an essay (of their choice), in collaboration. • The essay AND collaborations are evaluated.