The Effects of Motivational Styles on Group Work and Discussion-based Seminars

The paper reports the effect of motivational styles on group work and discussion-based teaching in an environmental science course. The students' motivational styles were explored by a questionnaire whose items were written to correspond to four motivational patterns: achiever, curious, conscientious and sociable. A total of 180 university students from an Elementary Teaching Department participated in this study. The results showed that achiever students tended to dislike being involved in group work. On the other hand, curious, social and conscientious students tended to prefer working in groups. Discussion-based teaching appeared to be attractive for almost all students, although they have different motivational styles. The implications of the results for teaching and learning are discussed.     

Patterns of motivation among adolescents with biased and accurate self-efficacy beliefs

The motivational pattern of adolescents with biased and accurate self-efficacy beliefs in language and/or in math was examined in the current study. A sample of 6119 adolescents completed self-report questionnaires measuring self-efficacy beliefs for language and math, their interest in each subject, persistence, achievement goal orientations, and social goals. Data analyses indicated that (a) underestimation of one's performance, even in regard to a single school subject, was associated to costs and no benefits, (b) accurate or realistic self-appraisals were associated to benefits and no costs, and (c) overestimation of one's performance was more likely to be associated with more costs but not necessarily fewer benefits than realistic self-beliefs. Gender differences were also found.     

Reconceptualizing Motivational Climate in Physical Education and Sport Coaching: An Interdisciplinary Perspective

The purpose of this article is to re-conceptualize the phenomenon of motivational climate in Physical Education and sport coaching as a concept that is not purely psychological in nature, but also highly dependent upon pedagogical and sociological theories. In doing so, an interdisciplinary perspective is promoted where the three aforementioned disciplines combine and intersect in order to enrich teachers’ and coaches’ understanding of motivational climate. The ultimate aim is to assist practitioners in fostering an effective and stimulating learning environment. The pre-existing TARGET acronym (task, authority, recognition, grouping, evaluation and time) is used to structure the paper. These TARGET structures are further developed with links to relevant pedagogical and sociological theory to enrich them. Further, a strong emphasis is placed on ‘relationships,’ which have not previously been featured in the TARGET literature. It is anticipated that inter-disciplinary research on motivational climate will emerge from the ideas presented.     

The effects of motivational constructs and engagements on mathematics achievements: a comparative study using TIMSS 2011 data of Chinese Taipei,Singapore, and the USA

Motivational constructs and students’ engagements have great impacts on students’ mathematics achievements, yet they have not been theoretically investigated using international large-scale assessment data. This study utilized the mathematics data of the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study 2011 to conduct a comparative and empirical study on exploring: (1) the changes of motivational constructs from 4th grade to 8th grade; and (2) the effects of motivational constructs from the expectancy-value model and students’ engagements on mathematics achievements. The countries investigated include Chinese Taipei, Singapore, and the USA. The results showed that: (1) students’ motivations deteriorate over school years; (2) self-confidence in mathematics (SCM) has the strongest relationship with mathematics achievements. Furthermore, it is evident that Singapore has the most effective schools in students’ mathematics education. More findings of this comparative study are subsequently discussed.     

Motivating young language learners: A longitudinal model of self-determined motivation in elementary school foreign language classes

Promoting intrinsic motivation is often a central concern in teaching foreign languages to elementary school children. Self-determination theory posits that intrinsic motivation develops through the interaction of the person and the environment. The present study investigated how elementary school students’ motivation develops over the course of a school year in Japanese public schools. Five-hundred and fifteen Japanese elementary school children were surveyed over the course of one school year. Self-reported motivation, perceptions of teacher support, need satisfaction, and engagement were measured at different times. External raters observed students’ engagement, while classroom teachers assessed the quality of students’ motivation and learning. Structural equation modeling results indicated a positive, dynamic relationship between motivation, perceptions of the learning environment, and engagement. External raters’ assessments showed significant positive correlations with students’ self-reported engagement. Findings indicate how the instruction offered in these Japanese elementary schools supported students’ foreign language learning motivation.     

关于动机设计与网络教学活动设计整合的思考

本文针对当前网络教学活动设计中进行动机设计的必要性,通过对几种动机设计理论的分析,提出了各种动机要素之间的彼此影响的关系,对如何在网络教学活动设计中进行动机设计的整合提出了几点建议。     

Motivational interference in learning: The impact of leisure alternatives on subsequent self-regulation

Students are often obliged to fulfill home assignments for school. While being engaged into such compulsory schooling, learners may be tempted to switch to a leisure alternative. Whenever students pursue the learning task although attractive leisure alternatives are present, thoughts about the missed activity can lead to motivational interference. Thus, self-regulation in learning does not only depend on the learning task itself but also on the dismissed alternatives. In a questionnaire study 704 students (mean age: 13.5) were confronted with hypothetical conflicts between a school activity and a leisure activity. The students envisioned themselves in the course of both activities after the decision. As predicted, self-reported self-regulation depended on the valences of both activities. High valence of the performed activity was related to better self-regulation, whereas high valence of the alternative activity resulted in worse self-regulation.     

Students’ views on the effectiveness of motivational interviewing for challenging disaffection

Emerging evidence suggests motivational interviewing (MI) is an effective intervention for supporting disaffected students. However, previous literature has failed to establish students’ views on MI. In the present study, three students took part in an individual MI intervention, delivered by three educational psychologists (EPs). Self-report measures of school-based motivation and semi-structured interviews were used to obtain student views, post-intervention and at three month follow-up. EP interview data were also used to contextualise findings from student interviews. Qualitative findings indicated that students were generally enthusiastic about the intervention and perceived some positive impact on behaviour. However, these views were not consistent with questionnaire responses and two of the pupils experienced exclusions around the time of the intervention. The implications of these ambiguous findings are discussed, in relation to contextual factors that are likely to have influenced the effectiveness of the interventions.     

一个成功外语学习者的二语动机自我系统个案研究

二语动机研究在近几十年成为二语习得研究的一个重要领域,而近五年来＂自我＂和＂身份＂概念的引入使得二语动机研究朝着一个更加动态的视角转变。借鉴Drnyei的＂二语动机自我系统＂理论与Ushioda的＂情境中的人＂的相对观,采用个案研究的方法,通过对一个成功的外语学习者Bill的访谈、反思日志以及博客质性数据的搜集分析,探讨其在学习英语过程中动机自我系统的动态构建,发现其＂理想二语自我＂、＂应该二语自我＂及其＂学习经验＂之间存在交互关系,并且其动机二语系统有两种独特表现形式,即＂努力行为＂以及＂英语功能观＂。     

Assessing motivational styles of students in the south-east Asian context of Singapore

High levels of academic achievement in Asian educational systems have generated interest in the study of motivational patterns of students in these contexts. The objectives of this paper are firstly, to provide a review of existing literature on the study of motivational styles amongst students and secondly, to identify the occurrence of different motivational styles amongst students in Singapore,. The method of identifying different motivational styles was adapted from a procedure first developed by Craske (1988). The findings of this study indicate that although the distribution of motivational styles amongst the Singaporean students was consistent with that as obtained by Craske, there was a higher tendency for maladaptive motivation amongst the males than the females. In contrast, Craske found no gender differentiation, though earlier researchers had found that maladaptive motivation was more common among the females.