The key to students’ motivation to learn: classroom support for the psychological needs of students with visual impairments Dr. Ineke Haakma

Children are born with an intrinsic motivation to learn

The social context plays a major role in the extent to which students are motivated to learn.

Social context Student Outcome Structure Autonomy support Involvement Competence Autonomy Relatedness Motivation

Provided need support by the teacher Experienced need support by the student Motivation

Students with visual impairments Often experience difficulties when conducting learning tasks. Are often more dependent on their teachers to successfully conduct learning tasks.

Research question To what extent do teachers support the needs of students with visual impairments, and to what extent is this related to students’ motivation to learn?

Social context Student Outcome Structure Autonomy support Involvement Competence Autonomy Relatedness Motivation

Providing structure Clearly explain the goal Clearly communicate what is expected of the student Provide directions and guidance Provide feedback

Providing autonomy support Take the student’s perspective Offer choice Minimalize controlling language Promote the student’s own initiatives

Providing involvement Create a warm, respectful, and trusting relationship Express care Be responsive

Method All special or mainstream high schools in the Netherlands in which students with visual impairments are educated were contacted. 14 teachers and 54 students participated.

Teacher questionnaire Items on need-supportive teaching behavior: – structure – autonomy support – involvement

Student questionnaire Items on experienced need support Items on motivation

Example items providing structure Teacher: I try to be clear to my students about what I expect from them during the lesson. Student: The teachers makes clear what is expected from me during the lesson.

Example items autonomy support Teacher: I try to provide students with opportunities to make their own choices during the lesson. Student: My teachers provides opportunities to make my own choices during the lesson.

Example items involvement Teacher: I try to show an interest in my students. Student: My teachers shows an interest in me.

Example item motivation Most of the time I am actively engaged in class.

Likert-scale

Results Teachers (mean) Students (mean) Structure3,063,83 Autonomy support 2,823,52 Involvement3,193,64 Motivation3,85

Interviews Three teachers and 13 students where interviewed using an interview protocol based on the questionnaire.

A teacher on providing structure: “When starting the lesson I clearly indicate what students are expected to do. I think my students are very task-oriented and they get a lot of work done in a short amount of time”.

A student on autonomy support: “I have indicated that I wanted to do extra reading exercises because I think reading is difficult. The teacher listened to me and we now do more whole class reading exercises”.

A student on involvement: “I like the teacher. He likes to discuss topics with us. That makes me feel like an equal. He absolutely pays attention to us”.

Conclusion Teachers provided need support in the classroom. Students experienced their teachers as being need supportive.

This study provided an overview of strategies that teachers of students with visual impairments can use to motivate their students in their learning tasks.

Questions?

Many thanks to: The University of Groningen Vivis Visio Bartimeus Jillian Kloosterman – Hakvoort Gelske Bosch

References (1) Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2000). The “what” and “why” of goal pursuits: Human needs and the self-determination of behavior. Psychological Inquiry, 11, Jang, H., Reeve, J., & Deci, E. L. (2010). Engaging students in learning activities: It's not autonomy support or structure, but autonomy support and structure. Journal of Educational Psychology, 102, Reeve, J., & Jang, H. (2006). What teachers say and do to support students' autonomy during a learning activity. Journal of Educational Psychology, 98,

References (2) Skinner, E. A., & Belmont, M. J. (1993). Motivation in the classroom: Reciprocal effects of teacher behavior and student engagement across the school year. Journal of Educational Psychology, 85(4), Sacks, S.Z. (1998). Educating students who have visual impairments with other disabilities: An Overview. In Sacks, S.Z. & Silberman, R.K. (red.), (pp ). Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co. Pinquart, M. & Pfeiffer, J.P. (2012). Psychological Adjustment in Adolescents with Vision Impairment. International Journal of Disability, Development and Education, 59 (2),