Proposal Title
What motivates students to work their hearts out? Insights and reflections from an upper-level biology lab.
Session Type
Presentation
Room
FNB 2220
Start Date
3-7-2019 3:30 PM
Keywords
student motivation, laboratory course, social interdependence, group work, peer pressure
Primary Threads
None of the Above
Abstract
Motivation can be described as someone’s impetus to do something. (Ryan and Deci, 2000). For students in an academic context this “something” would typically include engaging in actions and behaviours that will help them learn, develop their skills, or even simply complete their school work. Differences in students’ level and type of motivation can often be used to explain differences in performance, in study strategies, and even in attitudes toward learning in a particular subject (Chiou, Liang, & Tsai, 2012; Johnson, 2014; Lazowski & Hulleman, 2015). Thus, identifying factors that enhance student motivation in specific contexts can help us maximize learning by then deliberately incorporating such factors into future course design. To get an insight on what some of these factors might be, I collected and analyzed anonymous self-reported data (in the form of open-ended survey answers) from students who displayed behaviours generally conducive to learning. I will present the five main themes that emerged form the students’ responses, and invite participants to engage in a discussion about what motivates students in their own courses and contexts.But is motivation to devote time and effort to a course always beneficial? Is there a point after which it can become counter-productive? Can we, to some degree, “regulate” students’ motivation by employing carefully selected teaching strategies and course structures?
Chiou, G.-L., Liang, J.-C., & Tsai, C.-C. (2012). Undergraduate Students’ Conceptions of and Approaches to Learning in Biology: A study of their structural models and gender differences. International Journal of Science Education, 34(2), 167–195. https://doi.org/10.1080/09500693.2011.558131
Lazowski, R. A., & Hulleman, C. S. (2015). Motivation interventions in education: A meta- analytic review. Review of Educational Research 86(2), 602-640. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654315617832
Johnson, M. L. (2014). Achievement motivation for introductory college biology. Journal of Studies in Education, 4(1). http://dx.doi.org/10.5296/jse.v4i1.4306
Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivations: Classic Definitions and New Directions. Contemporary Educational Psychology 25, 54–67. https://doi.org/10.1006/ceps.1999.1020
Elements of Engagement
The session participants will be invited to:
a) draw on their own experience and teaching contexts to speculate about factors that motivate students in different disciplines, course types, and year levels;
b) share and discuss their perspectives on the benefits and pitfalls of maximizing student motivation;
c) discuss strategies to promote or "regulate" student motivation in their own teaching contexts.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
What motivates students to work their hearts out? Insights and reflections from an upper-level biology lab.
FNB 2220
Motivation can be described as someone’s impetus to do something. (Ryan and Deci, 2000). For students in an academic context this “something” would typically include engaging in actions and behaviours that will help them learn, develop their skills, or even simply complete their school work. Differences in students’ level and type of motivation can often be used to explain differences in performance, in study strategies, and even in attitudes toward learning in a particular subject (Chiou, Liang, & Tsai, 2012; Johnson, 2014; Lazowski & Hulleman, 2015). Thus, identifying factors that enhance student motivation in specific contexts can help us maximize learning by then deliberately incorporating such factors into future course design. To get an insight on what some of these factors might be, I collected and analyzed anonymous self-reported data (in the form of open-ended survey answers) from students who displayed behaviours generally conducive to learning. I will present the five main themes that emerged form the students’ responses, and invite participants to engage in a discussion about what motivates students in their own courses and contexts.But is motivation to devote time and effort to a course always beneficial? Is there a point after which it can become counter-productive? Can we, to some degree, “regulate” students’ motivation by employing carefully selected teaching strategies and course structures?
Chiou, G.-L., Liang, J.-C., & Tsai, C.-C. (2012). Undergraduate Students’ Conceptions of and Approaches to Learning in Biology: A study of their structural models and gender differences. International Journal of Science Education, 34(2), 167–195. https://doi.org/10.1080/09500693.2011.558131
Lazowski, R. A., & Hulleman, C. S. (2015). Motivation interventions in education: A meta- analytic review. Review of Educational Research 86(2), 602-640. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654315617832
Johnson, M. L. (2014). Achievement motivation for introductory college biology. Journal of Studies in Education, 4(1). http://dx.doi.org/10.5296/jse.v4i1.4306
Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivations: Classic Definitions and New Directions. Contemporary Educational Psychology 25, 54–67. https://doi.org/10.1006/ceps.1999.1020