Motivation (2) EDU 330: Educational Psychology Daniel Moos

Attributions: Explanations that people tend to make to explain success or failure Internal External ControllableUncontrollable LuckEffort Difficulty of Test Choice of Study Environments Other Cognitive Views of Motivation

Attribution Theory: Introduction (II) How do individuals typically attribute their success and/or failure? – Interpret successes and failures in a manner that is most likely to maintain positive self-image Internal External ControllableUncontrollable LuckEffort Difficulty of Test Choice of Study Environments SuccessFailureSuccess/Failure

Attribution Theory: Introduction (III) AttributionLocusStabilityControllability Inherited ability internal stable uncontrollable Personalityinternalstableuncontrollable Effortinternalunstablecontrollable uncontrollableTask Difficultyexternalstable Luckexternalunstableuncontrollable

Attribution Theory: Case Study

Attribution Theory: Strategies (1)“I am competent” AND “I worked hard” NOT beneficial to completely attribute to ability (2) Students most likely to persist after failing if they attribute failure to a lack of appropriate effort (3) Scaffold student’s understanding of effort (a)Students often confuse spending time doing ineffective activities with effort (b)Students often have incorrect conceptions of their understanding (metacognition) (4) Should assessment include evaluations of effort?

Overview Last Class: The Behavioral View of Motivation The Social Cognitive View of Motivation Other Cognitive Views of Motivation Today’s Class: Expectancy X Value Theory The Humanistic View of Motivation The Role of Self-Perceptions in Motivation

Expectancy X Value Theory

Motivation: Humanistic views (II)

Motivation: Humanistic views (III) Applying humanistic views of motivation to the classroom: Treat students as people first and learners second. Provide students with unconditional positive regard by separating their behaviors from their intrinsic worth. Create safe and orderly classrooms where students believe they can learn, and they are expected to do so.

The Role of Self-Perceptions in Motivation Self-description Self-esteem Self-concept Self-efficacy

Comparing Self-Description, Self-Concept, Self- Esteem, and Self-Efficacy “I’m a sixth- grader.” “I am five feet one inch tall.” “My favorite subject is history.” The nonevaluative picture people have of themselves. Self-Description ExampleCharacteristicsType of Self- Perception

Comparing Self-Description, Self-Concept, Self- Esteem, and Self-Efficacy (Cont’d) “I am a good person.” “I am happy with myself the way I am.” “I feel inferior to most people.” The global evaluative judgments we make of ourselves. Self-description describes who you are; self-esteem indicates how you feel about that identity. Self-Esteem (self- worth) ExampleCharacteristicsType of Self- Perception

Comparing Self-Description, Self-Concept, Self- Esteem, and Self-Efficacy (Cont’d) “I have always done well at math.” ”I’m pretty good at sports.” “I’m satisfied with how well I speak and understand a foreign language.” The evaluative judgments people make of their competence in specific areas or domains and their associated feelings of self-worth. Past-oriented. For older students, self- concepts may be hierarchically arranged. Self-Concept ExampleCharacteristicsType of Self- Perception

Comparing Self-Description, Self-Concept, Self- Esteem, and Self-Efficacy (Cont’d) “I believe I can learn how to use a computer program.” “I’ll never be able to figure out how to solve quadratic equations.” The beliefs people have about how capable they think they are at organizing and carrying out a specific course of action. Future-oriented.  Can affect learning goal (mastery, performance-approach, performance-avoidance) Self-Efficacy ExampleCharacteristicsType of Self- Perception