Browsing by Subject "Motivation"

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Alternative Music Courses and Student Motivation
(2015-08) Rolandson, David
Although music plays an important role in the lives of adolescents, the majority of high school students in the United States do not participate in the large performance ensembles traditionally offered in schools. Researchers have suggested that changes to the high school music curriculum, mainly through the inclusion of alternative music courses (e.g., popular music) and musical genres more relevant to students, would encourage more music study in schools. The purpose of this study was to determine whether students who elect alternative music courses were influenced to study music by different motivational factors than traditional large ensemble participants and whether sex influenced participation in alternative music classes. A Musical Motivation Questionnaire was distributed to all music students attending six high schools in Minnesota. Principal components analysis and reliability testing identified the presence of eight motivational factors that influenced students' choices to participate in high school music courses. Results from subsequent statistical analyses revealed that these factors influenced students enrolled in alternative music courses differently than large ensemble participants, influenced female students differently than male students, and that male students were more likely to participate in alternative music courses than female students. These findings suggest that expanding curricula to include alternative music courses may motivate a new or different population of students to engage in the music learning opportunities offered in high schools.
Community-Engaged Scholarship in African Higher Education: Exploring Faculty Motivations and Barriers to Community-Engaged Scholarship in Malawi
(2015-09) Nkhoma, Nelson
This research study examines the factors influencing the motivations of faculty at three Malawian public universities across six campuses in conducting community-engaged scholarship. The study employed a mixed-methods approach in which data were collected using a survey of community-engaged scholarship and in-depth interviews with a total of 110 faculty members who conduct community-engaged scholarship. Analyses of both quantitative and qualitative data reveal the influence of personal, institutional and external community incentives, including but not limited to the desire to teach well, personal commitments to specific issues and people, a perceived fit between community engagement and disciplinary goals, and availability of internationally funds by donors. This mixed-methods study found that faculty in Malawi, like elsewhere in African and the United States, have a rich reservoir of motivations that are rooted in personal goals, cultural background, and institutional norms of practice. Findings suggest that motivation for community-engaged scholarship likely varies by type of engagement and the overall proportion of time faculty members consider to spend on community-engaged scholarship. The study also finds that the increasing marketization of community-engaged scholarship and higher education in general has a paradoxical influence on what faculty report as motivations for conducting community-engaged scholarship in the Malawian context. While community engagement has forced faculty to plod the new territory that views scholarship as entrepreneurship, it has also cast faculty as “intersectors” bridging various stakeholder interests and needs to solve scholarship and societal problems. As main actors positioned at a significant scholarship position, the study reveals how faculty aspirations intersect at the need to improve their personal knowledge, students’ capacity to learn, transform society and contribute to their disciplines. However, these faculty motivations and aspirations are contradicted and limited by incomprehensive institutional and government support and the overreliance on external community supports which are competitive, tied to donor goals and very time specific.
Conceptions of Adolescent Friendship Quality in Sport and Music Domains
(2015-08) Phillips, Alison
Based on theory (Harter, 1978; Sullivan, 1953), the purposes of the present study were to (a) compare context-specific conceptions of friendship quality in youth sport and music, and (b) determine how friendship quality is related to motivational beliefs in sport and music. Adolescents (N = 366; Mage = 12.9, SD = 1.0) who were involved in both organized sport and music completed measures of domain-specific friendship quality, perceived competence, enjoyment, anxiety, and motivational orientation. For purpose one, a repeated-measures MANOVA revealed that (a) boys and girls rated their best sport friends higher in self-esteem enhancement and supportiveness than their best music friends, (b) boys rated their best sport friends higher in loyalty and intimacy, things in common, companionship and pleasant play, and conflict resolution than their best music friends, (c) girls rated positive friendship quality dimensions higher than boys, and (d) there were no domain or gender differences in perceived friendship conflict. For purpose two, structural equation modeling revealed that (a) for sport, positive friendship quality dimensions were directly associated with perceived competence and indirectly associated with enjoyment, anxiety, and motivational orientation, and (b) for music, positive friendship quality and conflict were related to competence motivation variables. Gender moderator analyses revealed slight differences between boys and girls in the pattern of relationships between friendship quality and competence motivation variables in sport and music. Collectively, findings extend the knowledge base by (a) using theoretical frameworks to compare conceptions of friendship quality in two popular extracurricular activities for youth, and (b) demonstrating the significance of friendship quality in motivational beliefs and orientations in sport and music.
The effect of small learning communities on indicators of student progress.
(2009-06) Bemel, Cheryl Stone
The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of two different small learning community (SLC) models on indicators of student progress. Participants were 100 students enrolled in a large urban high school in a Midwestern state as well as 23 of their teachers. Of the two small learning community models studied, one was reportedly a high-functioning SLC while the other model was considered poorly-functioning. Students from the poorly functioning SLC were placed into the higher-functioning SLC and comparisons were made. After controlling for pre-test measurement error, increases in attendance were associated with placement in a higher-functioning SLC after one year. Qualitative analysis provided further support to the finding; students' perceptions of their school experience improved after re-placement. Implications of results in terms of the efficacy of SLCs, future directions for SLC research, and the importance of relationships in the educational arena are discussed.
Effects of high-fidelity human patient simulation on self-efficacy, motivation and learning of first semester associate degree nursing students.
(2009-06) Kuznar, Kathleen A.
One of the newest methodologies in nursing education is high-fidelity human patient simulation (HPS). Many nursing educators have embraced the method as it offers a strategy to facilitate cognitive, affective, and psychomotor outcomes. Despite their popularity, however, HPS systems are costly and, in an era of cost containment and tuition increases, research must be employed to determine its effectiveness and guide its utilization. The purpose of this study is to determine how associate degree nursing students' self-efficacy, motivation, and learning in the simulated environment compare to nursing educational experiences without simulation. The mixed-method, quasi-experimental design was chosen for the study with a sample of first-semester associate degree nursing students at 2 technical colleges, 54 in the experimental group and 30 in the comparison group. Results indicated measures of self-efficacy and motivation increased throughout the semester for both groups. The simulation group had a statistically significant increase in general self-efficacy but no significant increase in nursing-specific academic and clinical self-efficacy. In contrast, the comparison groups had a significant increase in nursing academic self-efficacy but not in clinical or more general self-efficacy. Motivation measures were relatively consistent between the groups with only the measure of extrinsic motivation declining for the experimental group. When comparing the two groups on differences between pretest and posttest measures of self-efficacy and motivation, there were no significant differences. The experimental group scored significantly higher on the posttest knowledge examination. Results of interviews (n = 16) revealed specific themes, some unique to the simulation group and some common to members of both groups. The simulation students reported the importance of comprehensive skill practice, risk-free practice, group participation, and debriefing and instructor feedback. They were often able to identify a specific learning experience in the simulation lab that had impact on their practice. Technical skill knowledge was highly important for both groups. Students in both groups related the importance of a variety of courses in the first semester curriculum as increasing their nursing knowledge, self-efficacy and motivation. Simulation was found to be an acceptable learning strategy for novice associate degree nursing students.
Effects Of Type Of Social Control Strategy And Perceived Agent Motivations On Eating And Relational Behaviors In Romantic Relationships Over Time
(2020-05) Huelsnitz, Chloe
One of the ways in which close relationship partners can affect each other’s health behavior is by enacting social control, in which partners intentionally try to change each other’s behavior by using specific social control strategies. Most research has distinguished between the effects of different strategies on intrapersonal factors, such as individuals’ emotions, motivation, and health behavior, rather than considering the interpersonal context in which social control is embedded. This dissertation research addresses this gap by examining how the strategies that one partner uses to try to improve the other’s eating behavior elicit relational and eating responses over time. Study 1 used an iterative hypothetical scenario to experimentally test whether the effects of different social control strategies (autonomy-supporting versus autonomy-limiting) on relational and eating behavior are moderated by individuals’ perceptions of their partners’ motives for enacting social control (independent versus interdependent). Study 1 results showed that although there were few moderating effects of individuals’ perceptions of their partners’ motives on relational behaviors or healthiness of eating, autonomy-supporting strategies were associated with more constructive relational behaviors after the first use of social control and healthier eating over time. Study 2 used a daily diary approach to obtain descriptive information on the use of social control in relationships and to examine how different strategies elicit different relational and eating behaviors. Study 2 showed that partners enact more social control than previous research has shown and that partners often use both autonomy-supporting and autonomy-limiting social control strategies. Study 2 also showed that on days when individuals perceived that their partner had more interdependent motives, they engaged in more constructive relational behavior and reported healthier perceptions of their eating, but not healthier eating behavior. Additionally, autonomy-supporting social control was associated with more constructive relational behaviors, healthier perceptions of eating and healthier eating behaviors the first time the strategies were used, but not over time. Together, these studies utilize a novel iterative scenario methodology and longitudinal assessments to examine both relational and health responses to social control and show that autonomy-supporting, but not autonomy-limiting social control has implications for relationships and health behavior.
Examining participants' motivation to change in residential drug abuse program graduates: comparing "stages of change"assessment data with post-release status.
(2011-05) Moore, Mitchell Jay
This study examined the ability of three instruments designed to measure an individual's motivational readiness to change to predict successful postincarceration adjustment. It examined the post-release status of a sample of BOP inmates who completed the Residential Drug Abuse Program (RDAP) at a low security federal correctional institution with their post-test RDAP scores on three "stages of change" instruments-the University of Rhode Island Change Assessment (URICA), the Stages of Change Readiness and Treatment Eagerness Scale (SOCRATES) 8A (Alcohol), and SOCRATES 8D (Drugs). The questions that guided this study were: Do inmates' motivation to change from lifestyles of criminal and addictive behaviors increase or improve through their participation in prison-based treatment programs? If so, how do we know-what are the predictors of post-release rehabilitation? More specifically: Can an inmate's score on SOCRATES and URICA "stages of change" instruments, which are designed to measure an individual's motivation to change addictive behaviors, predict post-release rehabilitation, defined as remaining crime- and drug-free, and maintaining stable housing and employment? Which, if any, of these instrument scales predict post-release success? m Do other demographic variables predictive of post-release success emerge from the data? This study used post-release extant survey data obtained through each former inmate's probation district regarding participants' post-release status in regards to four factors the literature specifies as indicators of successful rehabilitation-remaining crime-free (recidivism), remaining abstinent from illicit substance use (relapse), maintaining stable employment, and maintaining stable housing. These four factors served as the response (dependent) variables. The individuals' post-treatment instrument scores (SOCRATES & URICA) sewed as the primary predictor (independent) variables, and various demographic data also served as predictor variables. Several factors were identified which were predictive of RDAP participants' successes or failure on supervised release (SR). One stages of change measure, the SOCRATES 8D (drug), was associated with criminality and employment instability. Participants' education level was associated with substance use, employment instability, and SR revocation, and participants' race was associated with employment and housing instability. Participants who were placed in RDAP failure status prior to SR (RDAP Failure-Outcome), had greater risk of criminality, substance use, and SR revocation, and they had greater odds of employment and housing instability. As anticipated, these participants performed more poorly on SR. In fact, RDAP failure was the most telling indicator of post-release failure and was found to be associated with every outcome indicator. Several suggestions and recommendations for further research and programming were provided.
Fueling Physical Activity with a Hybrid Motivational System: How Multiple Sources of Motivation and Experiences Promote Physical Activity Across Contexts and Time
(2023-05) Furman, Celina
A critical feature of physical activity as a health behavior is that it must be performed regularly, and ideally over the course of one’s lifetime. However, only a small number of people engage in recommended amounts of physical activity to attain its health benefits, and interventions have had limited success in producing long-term behavioral adherence. Thus, more work is needed to identify constructs that produce lasting changes in physical activity. To understand physical activity as a repeated behavior, this dissertation presents a novel dynamic model of physical activity that describes how multiple sources of motivation work together in a hybrid manner to drive physical activity across contexts and time, and specifies how the outcomes afforded by physical activity help to sustain or undermine motivation for subsequent physical activity. Two studies were conducted to test a set of predictions derived from this model. First, a combination of intrinsic and instrumental motives is posited to be important for sustaining strong physical activity intentions, especially when one encounters barriers to physical activity. Study 1 used hypothetical scenarios to examine how these motives work together to strengthen physical activity intentions under various circumstances that differ in the extent to which they tempt participants to skip their planned exercise. Findings provided mixed evidence for the role of instrumental motivation, but suggest that intrinsic motivation may help sustain intentions across contexts by reducing the extent to which various barriers tempt one to skip their exercise. Second, affective and instrumental outcomes of physical activity are suggested to have distinct feedback loops that influence motivation for subsequent physical activity. Study 2 experimentally manipulated these different outcomes through an in-person exercise paradigm, and tested their relationships with motivation and intentions for continued exercise. A 2-week follow-up assessment examined the sustainability of each outcome as fueling sources of intentions over time. Findings provided evidence for distinct affective and instrumental feedback loops, but their implications for sustaining intentions over time are unclear. Recommendations for refining my model based on evidence obtained through Studies 1 and 2 are discussed alongside directions for future research.
Gratitude as Persuasion: Understanding When and Why Gratitude Expressions Facilitate and Inhibit Compliance
(2015-08) Dwyer, Patrick C.
Most of the research examining the influence of gratitude expressions on compliance has focused on their benefits, but some empirical and anecdotal evidence suggests that they can both facilitate and inhibit compliance with requests. This dissertation seeks to understand when and why gratitude expressions enhance compliance and also when and why they may lead to diminished compliance. Two online experiments of adult participants tested hypotheses based on self-determination theory and the persuasion knowledge model. Motivation type and persuasion awareness were hypothesized to moderate the influence of gratitude expressions on compliance, and perceptions of sincerity, basic need support, and differences in state motivation were hypothesized to mediate these effects. Results suggest that gratitude expressions increase compliance through affecting perceptions of sincerity and by supporting relatedness needs. However, results also suggest that gratitude expressions do not always enhance compliance, and can sometimes lead to diminished compliance. Motivation type and persuasion awareness were both found to moderate the influence of gratitude expressions on compliance, and these effects were mediated by differences in state motivation. This research broadens our understanding of gratitude in social contexts by showing that expressions of gratitude can not only facilitate compliance with requests, but also sometimes lead to reductions in compliance. It demonstrates when each of these outcomes is more likely to occur, and it also contributes by uncovering some of the psychological dynamics underlying these influences.
How Malleable Are Beliefs about Traits? Self-Theories About Traits as Motivated Reasoning After Reliving a Negative Self-Conscious Emotion
(2019-07) Rogers de Alcerro, Jonathan Michael
Recent studies have shown that beliefs about the malleability of one's personality traits can manifest as motivated reasoning within certain situations, but no studies have examined whether this motivated reasoning is a consequence of emotional states. Based on Gausel and Leach's (2011) model on negative self-conscious emotions, we investigated this possibility by asking participants to relive a moral failure from the past year where they felt either guilt, shame, rejected, or inferior. We hypothesized that reliving a feeling shame or guilt would motivate participants to describe the Big Five trait they attributed most as a cause of their past moral failure as more malleable than their least attributed trait. We also hypothesized that feeling rejected or inferior would motivate participants to act defensively by describing their most attributed trait as less malleable than their least attributed trait. Participants who relived feeling guilt tended to describe their most attributed trait as more malleable than their least attributed trait, but this was not true for participants who relived a feeling shame, rejection, or inferiority. These results suggest that feeling guilt can elicit motivated reasoning about the malleability of one's traits with implications beyond reparative behaviors following a moral failure.
The impact of executive function on reward processing in children: neural correlates and individual differences.
(2011-09) Langworthy, Sara Elizabeth
Executive function (EF) involves the integration of cognitive processes in order to support and sustain goal-directed behaviors that are crucial in the development of behavioral regulation (Sergeant, Geurts, & Oosterlaan, 2002). Motivational and rewarding information may alter the underlying cognitive processes surrounding the implementation of these goal-directed behaviors. Previous research indicates that both behavior and brain systems associated with reward and executive function (EF) processes may be interacting in children with ADHD (Luman, Van Meel, Oosterlaan, Sergeant, & Geurts, 2009b; Scheres, Milham, Knutson, & Castellanos, 2007). However, little research has been conducted within middle childhood to explore the intersection of EF and reward processing in typical development. Furthermore, little is know about the degree to which reward processing may be interacting with low EF ability on a behavioral and neural level during middle childhood. The current study examined behavioral performance as well as functional and structural Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) data to address the degree to which executive function (EF) ability may be related to reward processing behaviors and brain circuitry in middle childhood. Chapter 2 addresses the overlap of EF and reward processing in behavioral task performance and parent questionnaire measures. Chapter 3 describes brain activation pattern differences in children with high versus low EF ability in a reward processing task. This portion of the study was conducted to determine whether children with lower EF ability process reward information similarly to children with high EF ability. In Chapter 4, the links between behavioral performance on EF and reward processing measures and structural volumes of related brain areas are discussed. Finally, in Chapter 5, general conclusions, limitations and future directions are outlined.
The language learning motivation of early adolescent French and Spanish elementary immersion program graduates.
(2009-06) Wesely, Pamela Mary
This mixed methods study focuses on the transition between elementary and middle/junior high school in one-way immersion programs in the United States. Understanding more about this transition is important to creating immersion programs that provide the maximum benefits to students, schools, and the community. An exploration of students' language learning motivation at this point of their education can help with this understanding. The primary goal of this study is thus to investigate the L2 learning motivation of elementary immersion school graduates, with a particular focus on issues vital to the unique context of immersion education. Three hundred fifty-eight (358) students who had graduated from five public elementary immersion schools in one metropolitan area were the target population. The secondary target population was their parents. One hundred thirty-one (131) students and their parents responded to surveys, and 33 students were interviewed. Data analysis procedures included a theme analysis of the interview data, a statistical analysis of the survey data, and an integrated consideration of the qualitative and quantitative findings. Findings were organized around two topical frameworks in immersion education: persistence and attrition in immersion programs, and developing cross-cultural understanding in immersion students. This study found that the participating immersion graduates' decisions to persist in the immersion program were more based on peer influence and their assessments of the school environment of the immersion continuation program than any other factor. Additionally, students who demonstrated the most cross-cultural understanding had experienced increased exposure to other cultures, languages, and individuals outside of the immersion classroom. Other findings reflected the respondents' understandings of the nature of language and culture, their relationships with their parents and teachers, and their many reasons and uses for learning a language. The conclusion includes suggestions and implications for district-level administrators, school administrators, and teachers in immersion programs.
Motivations, Barriers, and Constraints Affecting Underprivileged Youths' Participation in Nature-based Outdoor Recreation
(2011) Schiff, Jessica K
The types of motivations, barriers, and constraints affecting youth participation in nature-based outdoor recreation are researched in this study. The participants represent underprivileged youth affiliated with a drop-in after-school youth program sponsored by a local soup kitchen in an upper-Midwest city. Guided by the Constraints Negotiation Theory and following previous leisure and recreation research on perceived motivations, barrier, and constraints, this study utilizes qualitative techniques to collect data. Results reveal sets of common motivations and constraints affecting underprivileged youths’ participation in nature-based outdoor recreation. This information will benefit public and private local and regional organizations that provide and promote nature-based outdoor recreation opportunities for a diverse youth population by helping them to better understand their audience.
Regulatory focus and social support: a dyadic perspective.
(2008-12) Winterheld, Heike A.
I used a regulatory focus theoretical framework to investigate social support exchanges as they unfolded between romantic partners in ongoing relationships. Regulatory focus theory proposes two fundamental motivational orientations: a prevention focus (which is concerned with safety and security), and a promotion focus (which is concerned with hopes and aspirations). The theory lends itself to understanding how different motivations of support providers and recipients might shape the quality of support transactions in different support-relevant domains (i.e., provision and perceptions of support in response to problems/distress versus support in response to goal achievement). I tested a series of theoretically-derived predictions regarding regulatory focus, support provision, and perceptions of support from romantic partners. Although the results revealed that certain situational factors appear to elicit or to facilitate the expression of people's chronic regulatory orientations during support transactions with their partners, these chronic regulatory tendencies typically transcended or outweighed the situational context. Importantly, chronic regulatory focus had both actor and partner effects when predicting support provision and support perceptions. Thus, this work highlights the intrinsically interpersonal, dyadic nature of social support processes and the importance of studying perceptions and behaviors of both partners. The degree to which people provide effective support, or respond favorably to enacted support, appears to depend on both the motivational orientations and related skills of both support providers and partners, and on how both partners relate to and interact with one another. The implications for furthering our understanding of the social support and the regulatory focus literatures will be discussed.
The Rise of AI-powered Search Engines: Implications for Online Search Behavior and Search Advertising
(2024-05) Garlough-Shah, Gabriel
The emergence of AI-powered search engines (AIPSEs) present enormous opportunities and challenges for the future of research on search engine behavior and advertising alike. To address these opportunities and challenges, a multimethod study (survey and online observation) was conducted examining relationships surrounding perceptions of different technological affordances offered by AIPSEs and traditional search engines (TSEs), motivations for using each type of SE, behavioral intentions to use each in the future, and actual use behavior. Survey results show that participants perceive the technological affordances of AIPSEs and TSEs to be distinct in several facets, finding AIPSEs to be more cool, social, and responsive while finding that TSEs provide more variety and are easier to navigate. Online search observation results showed heavier reliance on TSEs than AIPSEs, more elaborative keyword use on AIPSEs, and heightened use of AIPSEs in advice-seeking circumstances, among other findings. These results offer both theoretical and practical implications.
The role of privacy in consistency and positivity motivation
(2013-06) Weaver, Jason
Two often disparate bodies of literature have established the existence of two motivations: positivity and consistency. Positivity motivation often manifests as illusory self-enhancement, as demonstrated by the better-than-average effect and self-serving attributions. Consistency motivation has been established in the empirical traditions inspired by balance theory, cognitive dissonance theory, and self-verification theory. Given the robust literatures supporting these two motivations, this dissertation attempts to identify moderators, such as the privacy of the situation and trait preference for consistency, that determine under what conditions and for whom each motive will take precedence. In addition, I attempt to integrate various consistency theories by proposing that the same basic consistency motive is responsible for cognitive dissonance, balance, and self-verification effects. In Study 1, participants encountered a norm supporting or undermining norms about consistency, believed that they were participating publicly or in private, and then chose between a partner who viewed them positively and a partner who viewed them consistently with their own self-concepts. Privacy, norms, and individual differences did not influence participants' choices, disconfirming all hypotheses. In Study 2, the same moderators (norms, privacy, and individual differences) were applied to a self-affirmation paradigm. After encountering either a pro-consistency or anti-consistency norm, female participants self-affirmed publicly, privately, or not at all, and then completed a math test under stereotype threat conditions. Norms, privacy, and personality did not influence performance on the math test, failing to confirm hypotheses and replicate previous research. I consider a number of methodological explanations for these null results working under the assumption that these null results are a Type II error. However, none of the explanations considered fully explain the findings, suggesting that moderators of dissonance effects may not generalize to other consistency paradigms.
Self-regulated learning, classroom context, and achievement: a dual-method investigation
(2014-07) Nelson, Julie Ann Gdula
The broad purpose of this study was to explore relationships between students' classroom environments, self-regulated learning, and achievement, using survey and microanalytic methodologies to measure motivation and self-regulation. Participants included students from all sections of a high school world history course in a suburban school district in the Upper Midwest, including 315 from AP and 758 from regular sections. The study employed correlational techniques including descriptive statistics, ANOVA, and multiple regression analyses. AP and regular section students did not differ on overall motivation or self-regulation, but AP students reported higher levels of interest in the subject, as well as higher perceived demand and cooperation in the classroom. Significant interaction effects indicated that self-regulatory strategy use had a stronger relationship with achievement for students in regular courses than AP courses and for students who perceived their course as more demanding. Overall perceptions of the classroom environment significantly predicted course achievement, with perceived demand as the strongest predictor. Microanalytic data produced the same conclusions as survey data regarding motivational variables, but results for self-regulatory variables differed. The findings suggest that perceived demand is a crucial classroom characteristic for promoting self-regulatory behavior and achievement. Findings also indicated that motivation to learn should be examined as a multidimensional construct. Future research should continue to develop microanalytic tasks and methods for use in research and practice settings.
The neuroscience of active learning and direct instruction
(Elsevier, 2024-05-23) Dubinsky, Janet M; Hamid, Arif A
Throughout the educational system, students experiencing active learning pedagogy perform better and fail less than those taught through direct instruction. Can this be ascribed to differences in learning from a neuroscientific perspective? This review examines mechanistic, neuroscientific evidence that might explain differences in cognitive engagement contributing to learning outcomes between these instructional approaches. In classrooms, direct instruction comprehensively describes academic content, while active learning provides structured opportunities for learners to explore, apply, and manipulate content. Synaptic plasticity and its modulation by arousal or novelty are central to all learning and both approaches. As a form of social learning, direct instruction relies upon working memory. The reinforcement learning circuit, associated agency, curiosity, and peer-to-peer social interactions combine to enhance motivation, improve retention, and build higher-order-thinking skills in active learning environments. When working memory becomes overwhelmed, additionally engaging the reinforcement learning circuit improves retention, providing an explanation for the benefits of active learning. This analysis provides a mechanistic examination of how emerging neuroscience principles might inform pedagogical choices at all educational levels.
Understanding Students’ Self-Regulation in Asynchronous Online Learning
(2019-05) North, Sarah
Despite rapid growth in online enrollment within higher education, persistence and completion rates remain lower for online courses than face-to-face courses. This discrepancy between the two modalities indicates a need to better understand students’ self-regulated learning (SRL) within online learning environments. Students with higher SRL skills demonstrate higher academic achievement than those who do not, and so it is critical to investigate the topic of SRL because it is so closely tied with achievement online. This study used a sequential, explanatory mixed methods approach to better understand the experience and actions of undergraduate students in an asynchronous online course who possess varying levels of self-regulation. In the quantitative phase, participants completed the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire which gave a self-reported snapshot into students’ motivation, self-regulating skills, and learning strategies. Trace log data from the learning management system (LMS) was additionally collected during four weeks of the semester. During an interim phase, three focal participants were selected and a semi-structured interview protocol was developed for the qualitative phase. The qualitative phase consisted of data collected through interviews with each of the focal participants, and observations of the three participants throughout the semester. Results suggest that while students appreciate the flexibility of an online course, flexibility can also lead to challenges. The flexible nature of a course appeared most challenging during online group work, when taking an online class for the first time, or when time management was poor. It was also found that students with higher levels of SRL strategies tend to dedicate specific time and places to work on coursework, and demonstrated a propensity to log in to the course LMS earlier and more frequently during each course week. Conversely, it was found that a student with lower SRL abilities did not dedicate a specific time or place to studying for the course, and tended to miss group discussion deadlines. Finally, it was found that an online instructors’ presence, frequent communication, use of video posts and discussions, and outlining weekly expectations were helpful teaching strategies which encouraged students to maintain motivation and SRL within the course.
Understanding the ‘Why’: A Research Study on the Motivations of Graduate Students for Public Engagement
(2015-08) Dunens, Elizabeth
The purpose of this research study was to better understand the motivations of graduate students at U.S. higher education institutions for involvement in public engagement. The study employed a mixed-methods research approach with a modified transformative sequential strategy to identify and analyze graduate student motivations for public engagement, and was guided by the typology of Dr. KerryAnn O'Meara (2008) on faculty motivations for public engagement in combination with the findings of Dr. Timothy Eatman (2012) on publicly-engaged graduate and early career scholars. This study contributes to extant literature on motivations for public engagement through its focus on a less-studied population (graduate students) and development of a conceptual model for understanding graduate student motivations for public engagement. On a more practical level, findings may also enhance institutional, departmental, and programmatic understanding of how to cultivate and sustain graduate student motivations for public engagement.

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