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Case Study in Motivation

Sarah Drake
March 2, 2013
EDU 615: Motivational Theory
University of New England

Introduction
The student chosen for this case study, whom I will refer to as Katie, is a 15
year old sophomore in high school. Katie is currently in my College Prep Geometry
class. Her grades tend to be on average or a little below compared to her peers in this
lower level geometry class. For example, Katies Quarter 1 grade in Geometry was an
80% with a class mean of 84.8%, and her Quarter 2 grade was a 77% compared to the
class mean of 78.9%. She has little issues completing homework (only graded on effort)
and performs average on quizzes. Katies test average is always her lowest grade and
consistently lands below the mean test scores of the class.
Katies academic history consists of average level classes. She has never
attempted more rigorous courses, such as honors or Advanced Placement level, yet her
grades consistently remain in the C/D range for her core classes. For example, at the
conclusion of Katies freshman year, her final grade averages were as follows: 73% in
Latin and Earth Science, 74% in Algebra I, 75% in English, and 77% in World History.
She received her highest averages in her elective courses with Physical Education at 91%
and ceramics at 80%. Her academic weaknesses are also evident with her PSAT scores
on which she scored in the 11
th
percentile for Critical Reading, the 13
th
percentile for
Writing, and the 14
th
percentile for Math.
Observations
Katies low self confidence and self efficacy were most apparent during test
taking situations. Upon entering the classroom she would openly vocalize her
displeasure in taking the test and was confidant that she would perform poorly. After
voicing her initial dislike of the test she would quietly take it without asking any
questions, though appearing uncertain with her work. She would then sullenly hand in
her test and ask that I not bother grading it. Though she still has traces of low confidence
and self efficacy I have noticed her test taking behavior improving. I have allowed her
choice seating during the test which allows her to sit in a closer proximity to my desk.
She appreciates this choice because when she has a question regarding the wording of a
problem or what the problem is looking for I can give her immediate feedback. As
Katies self efficacy improves I am limiting the amount of reassurance and feedback I
give her during the test to avoid developing a dependency issue during this task. When
she asks questions I reciprocate the question with one regarding her planning and thought
process for approaching the problem. For now this arrangement is necessary to build her
self efficacy with test taking and help her develop positive test taking skills.
The next task I wanted to tackle was homework. My homework assignments are
typically just a worksheet of practice problems. Some students complete it for
understanding, others complete it just to say its done, and many dont bother to even
look at it. Katie falls into the category of completing the assignment just to say she did it.
My goal for this task was to assign homework in a way that Katie would willingly invest
time, effort, and interest. The assignment I gave required students to think about how
Pythagorean Theorem related to them and their individual interests and hobbies.
Students were to create and solve two word problems that required the use of
Pythagorean Theorem. The other requirement was that the problems had to relate to
students personal interests and that I should be able to learn something new about each
student when I read their problems. Katie, along with many others in the class, embraced
the assignment. She was the first one to hand it in, and being the overly vocal young lady
that she is, let me know how much she enjoyed the assignment. The quality of the
problems she created were a vast improvement on the work she typically produces and
her positive feedback indicated the format of the assignment was a success.
Next I wanted to observe how Katie would respond to an individual, hands-on
project. Her school records and extracurricular activities make a strong case for her
desire to be active (Physical Education grades and avid participation in Ice Hockey and
Track and Field). The project required students to choose an image and scale the image
onto a larger piece of poster paper. Katies behavior during this activity was unlike
anything I had observed all year. She was excited about the image she had chosen, her
perseverance and focus were consistent throughout the project, and she didnt voice any
negativity or frustration. At one point, early in the process, she had made a fairly
significant error, one that would frustrate many students, including myself. She calmly
asked for my assistance, she corrected the error on her own, and proceeded with the
project. Even though Katie was not artistic she was still self efficacious for this project
because it allowed her to be active and allowed her structured independence.
The last situation I wanted to experiment with was the use of lecture and class
time. Katie was generally attentive during lecture, took good notes, but struggled with
in-class work. As soon as I gave students time to practice the lesson Katie had her hand
up asking question after question, regardless of whether she had the process written down
in her notes or not. If I was helping another student she would rudely interrupt and
almost demand that I prioritize her needs over others. She would constantly complain
that she didnt know what she was doing and unless she received immediate assistance or
reassurance she would begin socializing and get off topic. I decided to add more
structure and consistency to the class by limiting lecture/notes to the first 25 minutes of
class and class work/homework for the remainder of the 80 minutes. I also added a
small-group help session to the class work time for students who may not have
confidently grasped the lesson concepts. Katie was the first one at the table and was
joined by 4 or 5 other vocal and needy students. This small group session worked
phenomenally. Katie and her peers with similar efficacy issues were in one location
where I could help them at the same time. The small group setting allowed them the
opportunity to offer reassurance to each other and assist each other if I was busy with
other students. Katie was even more polite while I was helping other students and with
her successful and consistent task completion she was finally recognizing her
mathematical ability. At one point during the small group session I asked Katie to teach
the previous lesson to a student who had been absent. To my surprise Katie offered little
resistance to this request and appeared shy, but proud, that I had enough trust and
confidence in her abilities to suggest that she could teach another student.
Effective Strategies
The goal of this case study was to improve Katies self efficacy with mathematics.
I decided to work on building Katies metacognitive strategies of planning, monitoring,
and regulating the learning process (Aydin, Uzuntiryaki, & Demirdogen, 2011). If I was
going to be successful with this task I would first need to develop a positive personal
connection. I began by inquiring about Katies past experiences with math and school in
general. As expected, these experiences were negative and began early on in her school
career (around grade 4/5). After our initial conversation, Katie soon started visiting me
during her study halls to vent about her personal life. By showing a sincere interest in
her academic and personal life I began to build her trust and respect. Stress seemed to be
an ongoing issue so I offered suggestions on ways she could reduce this stress. After
Katie attempted these strategies and experienced significant success in stress reduction I
had won her credibility. The personal connection also paved the way for the strategy of
verbal persuasion (Margolis & McCabe, 2006). I had made myself a credible source of
trust and encouragement for Katie. A noticeable change in her attitude and perseverance
with mathematical tasks was almost immediate. She became receptive to encouragement
and was self aware of her actions, words and perseverance with tasks.
The next self-efficacy building strategy I used was enactive mastery (Margolis &
McCabe, 2006). This required assigning a task and providing an environment in which
Katie could recognize her achievement. All of the classroom situations I focused on were
meant to provide Katie with immediate feedback and confirmation on her ability to
perform the tasks. In every scenario I witnessed visible improvement in her self-efficacy.
I continued the verbal persuasion throughout each task and gave her feedback not only on
her performance of the mathematical content, but also on the processes she used to
approach the problem and how she was monitoring/regulating her attitude throughout the
course of the task.

Conclusion
As a result of this case study I have become significantly more aware of building
the self-regulatory strategies of every student. I am constantly trying to find ways to help
my students break down and outline concepts, summarize processes, and rehearse content
in my presence (Jain & Dowson, 2009). I have noticed a tremendous improvement in the
level of understanding, success, and increased self-efficacy in more students than just
Katie. Though it may seem elementary in nature, I have also become more aware of the
difficulty level of the tasks I assign to all my students. Margolis & McCabe (2006) state
it so plainly, Regularly giving struggling learners tasks they view as difficult or
impossible is a prescription for failure, for superficial engagement, or resistance. After
adjusting the difficulty level of the in-class tasks I not only learned this statement to be
true, but came to the realization that I was previously assigning tasks that were
inappropriate for all learners.
The best strategy I used throughout this case study was providing the small group
help station during class work time. Congregating the needy students to one location
allowed their needs to be met immediately, which freed me up to give personal attention,
guidance, and task feedback to every student in the class, not just a few. Offering
students the flexibility and choice in class work grouping has been extremely successful.
I feel more empowered and in control of the class and am no longer frantically running
about the room trying to answer everyones questions. I am confidant this increased
comfort level has improved the learning environment for all students. I am very pleased
with the results of this case study and look forward to applying similar strategies to my
other students and classes.
References

Aydin, Y., Uzuntiryaki, E., & Demirdogen, B. (2011). Interplay of Motivational and
Cognitive Strategies in Predicting Self-Efficacy and Anxiety. Educational
Psychology, 31(1), 55-66.

Jain, S., & Dowson, M. (2009). Mathematics Anxiety as a Function of Multidimensional
Self-Regulation and Self-Efficacy. Contemporary Education Psychology, 34(3),
240-249.

Margolis, H., & McCabe, P. P. (2006). Improving Self-Efficacy and Motivation: What to
Do, What to Say. Intervention In School and Clinic, 41(4), 218-227.

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