Ashley Patnaude EDU 615 Dr.

Akerman July 10, 2011 Module Two: Motivation to Learn Motivation is a valuable topic when it comes to education. Without motivation, a teachers job becomes incredibly difficult to carry out. A students ability and desire to carry out a task can be beneficial or detrimental to his or her academic success. Countless theorists have conducted research and studies in order to come up with motivational theories that are extremely useful for a teacher to be aware of and practice in a classroom setting. Five of the most popular studies, which will be further explained in relation to education below, include: the expectancy-value theory, the goal orientation theory, the attribution theory, the self-determination theory, and the social cognitive theory. The expectancy-value theory is based on an interest in both students beliefs and their abilities to succeed with tasks, or expectancies. (p. 5) The interest also lies in students value in individual educational tasks. Students base their motivation on said expectancies for how successful they will be, as well as, their value of each task. Teachers have the ability to impact students motivation to persevere with and participate in classes and ultimately their careers. A teacher can circumvent any issues students may have according to the expectancy-value theory by setting clear goals with a persuasive purpose (Cambridge, 2011). The use of role models and providing opportunities for students to reach early success will also assist in their developing confidence and ultimately their success in completing tasks.

Goal orientation theory is built around the reasons why students choose to participate in academic responsibilities. Within this theory, there are two types of goals. The first type, mastery goals, are those that students engage in purely to learn. When students fulfill mastery goals, they work harder than other students in order to succeed at each learning task. The second type of goals are performance goals, which students choose strictly to show their ability. Students who practice this type of goal are more concerned with how their performance compares to their peers and are concerned with others opinions of them. Expanding on these types of goals, theorists have also identified approach and avoidance goals. Approach goals represent positive types of motivation, whereas avoidance goals represent more negative types of motivation. (p. 6) If a student is practicing the mastery-approach goal, his ultimate goal is to succeed at a task whilst learning and completely comprehending the information. Alternatively, if that student is practicing the mastery-avoid goal, his primary concern is to avoid misunderstanding the material. Similarly, students who practice performance-approach are simply concentrating on showing their ability in relation to those around them, while practicing performance-avoid means that they do not want their peers to consider them to be dumb, so they avoid the task altogether. Choices teachers makesuch as grading student work, grouping of students, and how students are recognized for their successes- all influence the types of goals that students adopt (p. 6) Attribution theory is based on a model of how people account for specific situations in their lives. The original theorists, Graham and Weiner, 1996, explained, Whenever something happens in our lives, especially when an outcome was unexpected, we want to know why the event occurred. The answer to the question... is the basis of

attribution theory (p. 4). There are three typical steps in the attribution theory. First, something occurs that is profound to an individual. Next, the individual tries to decipher a reason why the event occurred. The answer to this question directly leads to either motivation or a lack of motivation. Stability plays a major role in this theory because individuals consider if the cause of the event will occur routinely in different situations. Locus refers to the individuals belief if the events cause is internal or external. A student then accesses his or her locus of control, deciding if he or she can personally control the reasons the events took place. A teacher can best assist a student who falls into the attribution theory by helping them overcome events that have stood out in their lives, leading them to believe in themselves and their abilities. Self-determination theory includes motivated behaviors. Theorists cue into issues related to intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Intrinsic motivation is that which allows a person to gain success in learning simply for the sake of acquiring knowledge. Extrinsic motivation is a type that involves gained rewards, which work as the driving force for individuals to complete school related tasks. They also believe in a group of individuals falling into an amotivated category, or those who are not motivated at all. Amotivated individuals are believed to hold low confidence in their own abilities and have no value in their academic success. Theorists, Deci and Ryan explained, Selfdetermination is thought to contain three basic human needs: the need for a sense of selfdirectedness, the need to feel capable, and the need to feel connected and related to a group of others (p. 4). Motivation takes place when an individual feels these three detrimental needs are being met (p. 4). It has also been stated that people tend to take part in activities that they believe will tend to these three needs, in hopes that a success will

ensue. Students, however, hold the most power in determining their reasons to be motivated. According to Deci and Ryan, when an individual truly self-determines, his or her engagement in a particular task will be intrinsically motivated (p. 119) The social cognitive theory, founded mostly by Albert Bandura, contains numerous frameworks, which help to explain this motivational theory. Triadic reciprocality is a phrase coined by Bandura, which involves three variables that work together or against one another with regards to motivation. The variables include an individuals personal attributes, environmental characteristics, and behaviors. (p. 5). Two other ideas introduced by Bandura are directly related to motivation. He stated that people learn and take part in new behaviors that they witness coming from those around them. Students are also likely to emulate behaviors coming from those who they feel they are most similar. For instance, if a student sees his peer refusing to complete an assignment, he might feel justified in copying this behavior. Self-efficacy, an individuals belief that he or she has the ability to perform a specific task, is also a popular concept that was often discussed by Bandura. Students who feel that they can take on a task and succeed have a strong, high self-efficacy (p. 5). Conversely, a student who feels inadequate and unable to complete a task based on their ability has low selfefficacy. Self-efficacy can change task to task and is not always low or always high, descriptive of all tasks. Students can also have varying levels of self-efficacy in a subject because it is task specific. Teachers can best teach students who need assistance developing their self-efficacy by providing helpful feedback and differentiating their instruction to best meet their students needs.

The aforementioned theories regarding motivation are each individually valuable to the knowledge a teacher holds. It is paramount that teachers understand the unique ways in with their students become, lose, or avoid motivation so that they are better equipped to get through to each individual student. Once teachers understand the role of motivation within the classroom, they will become more skillful in teaching in a way that provides each student with a more successful, productive education.

Dear Parents, I am truly looking forward to working with you as your childs classroom teacher this year. It is through our continuous communication that we can work together to make this a successful year for your son or daughter. Because of my desire to maintain open communication, I would like to introduce some ideas that will be helpful in allowing your child to reach his or her full potential over the course of the upcoming year. A prominent motivational theory in the educational world is referred to as the social cognitive theory. Within this theory, is a concept called self-efficacy. Self-efficacy is a students belief that he or she can perform a task or assignment. The most important detail that I want you to know about self-efficacy is that students will not always feel as if they can complete a task. It is entirely normal for a student to have high self-efficacy in one subject and the opposite in another subject. Also, one task, like a certain math problem, might be easier to solve than other types of math problems. Your children all have different strengths and weaknesses, so do not become worried if a task seems more challenging than you may have noticed in the past. Another helpful concept that Id like you to be aware of is intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Intrinsic motivation means that a student is interested in completing a task so that he or she can learn and become more knowledgeable. On the opposite end is extrinsic motivation whereby a student is only interested in completing the task in order to gain a reward. While rewards are appreciated and helpful occasionally, please know that I will do my best to instill a strong desire to learn within your children without the use of routine rewards. Lastly, I feel it is helpful for you to be aware of my goal as your childrens teacher. It is my hope that my teaching practices will positively influence your childrens personal goals. In the teaching world, we speak of the goal orientation theory. It is my hope that my teaching pushes your children into developing their own mastery goals, goals that they wish to accomplish for the sake of

learning. Performance goals, on the other hand, are based on performance compared to peers and how peers perceive their classmate. I will do my best to create a classroom void of a competitive nature so that your children will want to succeed for themselves, not because of how they want their peers to see them. If you have any questions, my door is always open. Together we can make this a phenomenal year of learning and growing.

Kind regards, Ashley Patnaude

Resources Anderman, E. M., & Anderman, L. H. (2010). Classroom motivation. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson. The expectancy-value theory of motivation. (2010). In Cambridge Regional College: Teacher's Toolbox. Retrieved July 8, 2011, from http://www.teacherstoolbox.co.uk/T_Expectancy-value.html