Project 3 | Abstract, Annotated Bibliography, and Self-Reflection.

Addendum 1: Abstract

For many students, the American Public High School experience is characterized by

feelings of amotivation and diminished autonomy. Feelings which precipitate a state of boredom, and anxiety that initiate a self-reinforcing cycle of disengagement and nihilism that reduces students’ wellbeing and ability to learn. For this reason, it is of paramount importance that educators be armed with the proper information to break this cycle and effectively cultivate the motivation of their students that can sustain the efforts required to complete a high school education. Recent research in the field of motivational psychology has highlighted the influence of teaching style and curriculum structure on students’ motivation, specifically its tendency to foster or diminish students’ naturally occurring motivation to learn. This essay identifies two theories which offer particular utility to the educator who wishes to design an environment which fosters this naturally occurring motivation: Self Determination Theory (SDT) and Goal Orientation Theory (GOT). This paper will provide a summary review of relevant empirical and theoretical research on these theories as well as provide a discussion of the ways in which they might be implemented into an effective pedagogical strategy with a particular emphasis on the maximization of students’ psychological need satisfaction and the facilitation of mastery goal orientations in students.

Addendum 2: Annotated Bibliography

*Deci, Edward L., and Richard M. Ryan. "Self-determination theory: A macrotheory of human motivation, development, and health."Canadian psychology/Psychologie canadienne 49.3 (2008): 182.

"Self-determination theory: A macrotheory of human motivation, development, and

health." is the foundational paper in which Self Determination Theory (SDT) is proposed by

researchers and professors of Psychology Edward L. Deci and Ryan M. Richard. The 2008 paper has been cited over 8000 times. SDT, as proposed in this paper, is an economic theory of motivation that improves upon the current knowledge base by being A. Empirically verified; B. Predictive; and C. More detailed than previous concepts. The theory proposes that relatedness, competence, and autonomy are basic human needs that can be used to understand intrinsic motivation. The researchers also propose two types of motivation: 1. Autonomous motivation, a term inclusive of intrinsic motivation and internalized extrinsic motivation; and 2. Controlled Motivation, a term used to describe motivation that relies primarily on rewards and punishments but may have been partially internalized.

SDT is a prominent and empirically sound theory in motivation research, so in any case it would be inappropriate not to include it in my research. Additionally, I expect the utility

provided by the concepts of Autonomous and Controlled Motivation to be great. Not only have these terms been verified as valid constructs by other researchers, they highlight almost perfectly a core distinction I plan to make in my paper.

* @girls. Repost of a “relatable” video by user @jadenshontz with the caption “When you spend more time calculating the lowest possible grade you can get instead of actually studying.” TikTok. 18 December, 2021. https://www.tiktok.com/@girls/video/7040659844285648133?_r=1_t=8WobMkq4Jpb&is_from_webapp=v1&item_id=7040659844285648133

This TikTok, posted by user @jadenshontz was reposted by “relatable” content

aggregator account @girls on the 18th of December 2021. The original poster has since made their account private, but we can assume from the context of the video that she was a college student at the time of posting. The original poster was presumably speaking from her own experience or those of her peers. Both her and the content aggregator @girls indicate that they believe other students would find the post relatable. The description of the post on @girls reads, “WHO ELSE DOES THIS INSTEAD OF STUDYING?! ...” for example.

This content is made by a student for other students about being a student. It is a perfect primary document to highlight the ways in which students 1. Understand the structure of the school system and what they need to do to achieve a desired outcome; 2. That they use that understanding in illogical and or self sacrificing ways; and 3. That they do so consciously.

Ratelle, Catherine F., et al. "Autonomous, controlled, and amotivated types of academic motivation: A person-oriented analysis."Journal of educational psychology99.4 (2007): 734.

Researchers Catherine F. Ratelle and colleagues discuss the findings of various studies on student motivation in their 2007 paper, "Autonomous, controlled, and amotivated types of academic motivation: A person-oriented analysis," published in the Journal of Educational

Psychology. Their analysis, undertaken with the framework of SDT in mind, found that

autonomous motivation was associated with persistence in college students, and that some

combination of autonomous and controlled motivation seemed to be adaptive in high school students. Also notable was that they didn’t find a group of high school students who were primarily autonomously motivated and concluded that the high school environment wasn’t conducive to that type of motivation.

This study will serve the important purpose of introducing nuance into the project. It

suggests that controlled motivation is a part of an effective learning environment and not

something to be minimized at all costs. It also highlights the role of the school environment on fostering different types of motivation, which will help to set up some of my later arguments.

Studer, B., and S. Knecht. "A benefit–cost framework of motivation for a specific activity."Progress in brain research 229 (2016): 25-47.

Bettina Struder and Stefan Knecht, researchers and neurology specialists at Mauritius

Hospital Meerbusch, propose in their 2016 study "A benefit–cost framework of motivation for a specific activity," a unified and application friendly framework for modeling motivation. Their theory aims to integrate the many extant models (including SDT) into an empirically sound model that can be used to understand motivation for real world activities.

I think that their paper will be an especially helpful source when drafting my research

project for two main reasons: 1. Their model incorporates elements from many of the most

prominent motivation theories; 2. It does so with a focus on empirically-backed validity; and 3. Their model is designed to be applied to, as the title says, “a specific activity.” So it will be

especially useful when analyzing motivation in the specific context of education.

* @ttaegogi. Tweet with the text: “school lately gives us zero motivation and too many assignments from different classes that just make us dwell doing them.” Twitter. 5 Feb, 2021. https://twitter.com/ttaegogi/status/1357725372570361859

This Tweet was posted by user @ttaegogi on February 5th, 2021 in response to a tweet by user @yoongivans which read: “😭my favorite group of students won’t listen to me anymore, they don’t pay attention, they don’t do the homework... what am I doing wrong T-T” Their exchange was casual and kind, which lends a sense of authenticity to their words, even if it’s unclear what kind of/or if they are students or teachers respectively.

I’m so happy I found this Twitter exchange because it illustrates perfectly the complicated nature of this issue, as well as the relational aspect of learning. @yoongivans just wants their students to participate in a small assignment and @ttaegogi feels overwhelmed. Both are valid perspectives that need to be integrated into our understanding of student motivation. It also lends an empathetic perspective to both the student and teacher perspectives.

* Cited in essay

Addendum 3: Self Reflection

I feel like I gained a lot of valuable research experience this semester both inside and

outside of school. While I don’t feel like my experiences this semester have changed my

perspective by showing me what research isn’t (dispelling misconceptions) as much as they’ve done so by showing me what research is. I feel like I have a much better intuitive sense for what research entails, how long it will take, the likely things to happen while researching, and for how to structure questions so that they direct my exploration without limiting it.

I also really appreciated the practical library research skills that we learned in class. They came at just the right time for me. Literally the week after I attended my library workshop I was tasked with doing some complicated legal research as part of my (very strange) job and there is no way I would have been able to find what I needed without the skills I learned in this class and at the library workshop.

I feel like I’ve developed good habits as a researcher over the course of the semester too. I’ve certainly learned to appreciate the importance of spending twice as long as you think you should in the preliminary research process. The synthesis portion of the process is always so much easier when you’ve read more and (in my biased opinion) the conclusions are better. I feel more confident undertaking research projects now that I have experience to draw on. I anticipate that the ability to intuitively judge how difficult a question will be to answer and how to adapt to the challenges that arise during the research process will be especially useful. I also feel more equipped to answer smaller questions I have in my personal life more efficiently and accurately. I’ll certainly draw on the experience I gained this semester in my future time at Cal and in my personal life as I seek to better understand the world around me.