Educational Psychology - Essay Example

?Educational Psychology Educational Psychology is the study of the aspects of education including development, learning, and motivation (Woolfolk, Winne & Perry, 2011). There is no doubt that teaching and learning has changed over the years which may have affected students’ motivation in terms of education. While students did show high levels of motivation for their studies in the previous generation, it is being noticed that students today are lacking motivation in studies (Crotty, 2013) or are channeling their energy and motivation into other objectives that are non-educational. This is why certain teaching strategies are being considered in order to increase motivation among students. Enhanced motivation among students can result in a more productive outcome since it improves the learning experience in class and also a particular student’s performance (“Teaching Strategies: Motivating Students”, 2013). Although teaching methodologies and learning has changed over the years, motivation varies from person to person. A person may be highly motivated in a particular subject but may not be motivated in another subject at all. Therefore, while pedagogical changes have impacted motivation, students may show varying levels of motivation depending upon the subject areas. Motivation varies from student to student and from subject to subject. A study carried out on traditional as well as non-traditional students showed a greater level of motivation among non-traditional students (Bye, Pushkar & Conway, 2007). Traditional students were defined as being under 21 years of age whereas non-traditional students were those aged 28 years or above (Bye, Pushkar & Conway, 2007). The research also showed that intrinsic motivation was a result of interest and age for all students regardless of their conventionalities (Bye, Pushkar & Conway, 2007). Also, interest and intrinsic motivation worked together to create a positive feeling for studies within the student. This implies that motivation may also be predicted by other variables including age and interest apart from educational variables. Changes in learning and teaching over generations would not have necessarily caused a decline in motivation among students today as the study also showed the relative presence of motivation in students implying that it is not completely absent among students. Hence, pedagogical changes may not have affected motivation among students as there are other variables determining the levels of interest and motivation among students. Self Determination Theory (SDT) is an excellent theory that can aid the evaluation of motivation among students. According to the theory, wellness is promoted as a result of autonomy, capacity, and a sense of association among an individual (Ryan, 2009). Two types of motivation include autonomous and controlled motivation. Although both types of motivation have shown to decrease from elementary to junior high school in the Western culture, a recent study carried out in Japan suggests that autonomous motivation decreases from elementary to junior high school however controlled motivation increases from elementary to junior high school (Nishimura & Sakurai, 2013). This study suggests that cumulative motivation may increase as one grows as a learner and therefore students today can also be highly motivated in educational activities and learning. Although students may show an increase in motivation, student disengagement is rising and pointing towards lack of motivation among students (Crotty, 2013). Lack of motivation is coming out as a huge problem particularly after a research showed that forty percent of high school students are disengaged from school (National Research Council, 2003). This matter has called the attention of teachers who are making an effort to increase the motivation of its students by using different strategies. Teachers as well as parents are working in order to increase the motivation of students in order to prevent high school students from disengaging. While previously, teachers did not focus on individual differences in learning abilities, teachers today are considering the individual learning abilities to enhance the learning experience of students (“Motivating Students”, 2013). By understanding the differences and working to employ different strategies to keep them learning, teachers are successfully motivating students to learn and advance their knowledge. Teachers have a great role increasing motivation among students today particularly due to the highly volatile environment today which may result in a student being disengaged. A research has revealed that teachers can encourage self determined motivation among students through greater involvement in tasks particularly within the physical education discipline (Jaakkola & Liukkonen, 2006). Task involvement spurs an individual to increase his or her self determination thereby improving their motivation as a result of greater task orientation (Jaakkola & Liukkonen, 2006). Therefore, the study suggests that efforts made by teachers can increase motivation among students today although they may be lacking motivation. This notion may have been missing in the previous generation where the aspect of motivation in education might have not been considered and the role of teachers was limited to an instructional guide. Today the role of a teacher has expanded to pique the interest and motivation of its students considering the decline in motivation and high rates of school disengagement. Changes in pedagogical methods now aim at improving motivation among students. This move has been made to enhance the motivation of students in education because the role of motivation in learning has been realized. Research has proved the positive relationship between academic motivation and performance in schools implying that greater motivation leads to better performance in schools (Fortier, Vallerand & Guay, 1995). It is true that a decline in motivation among students has been noticed today which was not so previously. However, this realization has resulted in greater efforts and attempts by teachers to improve the motivation of students. This idea would have been unimaginable previously where students were more motivated intrinsically. Motivation among students is highly variable today with changes noticed at every stage of education. This points out towards changes in teaching methods and learning which has resulted in a change in motivation among students today. Research has shown changes in motivation during the course of a college degree where the students faced changes in learning orientation and work avoidance (Kowalski, 2007). Over time, the students became more grade oriented and started avoiding work showing a decline in motivation. When considering the changes in teaching methods, it is not easy to ignore the technological development which has given rise to innovations in education which includes electronic learning (Torp & Nevalainen, n.d.). Technological improvements have allowed interactive white board learning and other methods of teaching and learning (Menezes, 2012). Many people argue that a change in technology has only arrived as a tool to assist teaching instruction and has not changed the teaching techniques. However, the fact that it has impacted students today is apparent because students today face a different instructional medium than what was previously experienced by students of the past generation. Motivation has been affected due to the availability of technological instruments that are present to enhance learning. Due to technological advancement and other changes in teaching and learning has impacted motivation in students of today. An increasing number of students are being disengaged due to pedagogical practices and high stakes testing standards. The cause has been identified as being high standards which is resulting in lack of motivation among students. This is why strategies are being employed to focus on improving motivation of students. Apart from this, many students are also experiencing varied levels of motivation. While motivation may increase as a result of attempts made by teachers, motivation varies as an individual passes along the various phases of education from school to college. Overall, motivational levels among students do remain about the same although many students today have experienced a decline in motivation due to an increased standard (Crotty, 2013). References Bye, D., Pushkar, D. & Conway, M. (2007). Motivation, Interest, And Positive Affect In Traditional And Nontraditional Undergraduate Students. Adult Education Quarterly 57(2), 141-158. Crotty, J. (2013, March 13). Motivation Matters. Forbes. Retrieved November 2, 2013, from http://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesmarshallcrotty/2013/03/13/motivation-matters-40-of-high-school-students-chronically-disengaged-from-school/ Fortier, M.S., Vallerand, R.J. & Guay, Frederic. (1995). Academic Motivation and School Performance: Toward a Structured Model. Contemporary Educational Psychology 20, 257-274. Jaakkola, T. & Liukkonen, J. (2006). Changes In Students' Self-Determined Motivation And Goal Orientation As A Result Of Motivational Climate Intervention Within High School Physical Education Classes. International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology 4(3), 302-324. Kowalski, P. (2007). Changes In Students' Motivation To Learn During The First Year Of College. Psychological Reports 101(1), 79-89. Menezes, P. (2012, April 20). Teaching Then and Now. Educ 300. Retrieved November 2, 2013, from http://commons.trincoll.edu/edreform/2012/04/teaching-then-and-now-has-teaching-changed-over-the-years-with-the-introduction-of-new-technology-and-have-interactive-white-boards-changed-the-way-teachers-teach/ Motivating Students. (2013). Teaching Resources. Retrieved November 2, 2013, from http://tep.uoregon.edu/resources/faqs/motivatingstudents/motivating.html Nishimura, T. & Sakurai, S. (2013). Changes In Academic Motivation Among Elementary And Junior High School Students. Japanese Journal of Psychology 83(6), 546-555. Research Council. (n.d.). Engaging Schools: Fostering High School Students' Motivation to Learn. The National Academies Press. Retrieved November 2, 2013, from http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?isbn=0309084350 Ryan, R. (2009). Self?determination Theory and Wellbeing. WeD Research Review. . Retrieved November 2, 2013, from http://www.welldev.org.uk/wed-new/network/research-review/Review_1_Ryan.pdf Teaching Strategies: Motivating Students. (2013). CRLT. Retrieved November 2, 2013, from http://www.crlt.umich.edu/tstrategies/tsms Torp, H. & Nevalainen, T. (n.d.). The World Has Changed: What About the Teacher?. Tampere University of Applied Sciences. Retrieved November 2, 2013, from http://www.academia.edu/360724/The_World_Has_Changed_-_What_About_the_Teacher Woolfolk, A.E., Winne, P.H. & Perry, N.E. (February 28, 2011). Educational Psychology, Fifth Canadian Edition. New Jersey: Pearson Education. Read More