Motivation in the Classroom
There are two types of motivation:
- Intrinsic* - internal factors that motivate like a student's curiosity
- Extrinsic** - external factors that motivate like receiving grades
Success = Intrinsic Motivation + Extrinsic Motivation
Top Tips for Creating Intrinsic Motivation
- Give assignments real-world applicability; if students can see the value of a task beyond the classroom, it can help to increase intrinsic motivation
- Provide opportunities for students to collaborate with each other (peer-to-peer interaction); this can be in the form of group work, peer critiques/feedback, or presentations
- Allow students to select learning content; have them find examples or research that can be shared with the rest of the class; consider letting students writing some of their own assignments
Two Theories For Motivating Students
Malone (1981)
- Challenge - create coursework with levels of completion individualized and adjustable to different students (example as an assignment with two options to complete, a baseline option and more challenging option)
- Curiosity - encourage the learner to seek out new information to resolve problems
- Control - construct tasks that require student input, offers a choice for completion and gives students the power over how it will look at the end
- Fantasy - task requires the student to envision a situation where they can use this knowledge outside of class (real-world applicability)
Keller (1988)
- ATTENTION - capture a students interest in course content by presenting materials that is new, exciting, different, or contradictory
- RELEVANCE - present content and tasks that highlight the usefulness of the information
- CONFIDENCE - each task should have clear expectations and offer students reasonable opportunities for success (in other words, don't make the task too hard that no one can really do it well)
- SATISFACTION - tasks encourage students to apply knowledge in real and useful ways (real-world applicability)
Remember: A task in your class may fit into some of the criteria above, however, it may not be obvious to your students. It never hurts to take a moment and explain "why" you are asking students to do something.
