Stability and Change in Students’ Learning Motivation: The Role of Social Relationships

Author(s):

Michaela Kilian(presenting / submitting)

Conference:

ECER 2016

Network:

31. LEd – Network on Language and Education

Format:

Paper (Copy for Joint Session)

Session Information

31 SES 13 C JS, Motivation and Language Learning

Joint Paper Session NW 27 and NW 31

Time:

2016-08-26

13:30-15:00

Room:

NM-F103

Chair:

Irina Usanova

Discussant:

Meinert Arnd Meyer

Contribution

Considerable research has documented the importance of learning motivation for students´ school achievement and lasting learning processes, and has shown that learning motivation develops within supportive contexts (see Urhahne, 2008; Midgley et al., 1998; Siebert, 2006). This paper investigates the relationship between learning motivation and learning aspects of the in- and out-of-school contexts of students in New Middle Schools in Lower Austria. This school type was established in Austria in 2012 with the aim of broadening learning opportunities and educational bases for all students. The reform model of the Lower Austrian Government, especially, places emphasis on learning settings and instructional and methodological changes, and has introduced team teaching, block scheduling, collaborative learning and problem solving. Moreover, the classroom is viewed as the primary and common place of learning, offering students learning opportunities and reducing the need for out-of-school tutoring or parental involvement (Lower Austria, 2009, 2011). Thus, the school class is considered an important learning context and becomes the place where students’ learning history is written.

Siebert (2006) links learning history, the perception of the common learning place and the self-concept of students with their learning motivation. Pekrun, Goetz, Titz & Perry (2002) emphasize the motivational role of emotion for students and stress the importance of self-efficacy for learning motivation. Many studies show that students’ self-concepts influence learning motivation: students with strong perceptions of their own abilities estimate such abilities more highly and describe themselves as highly motivated to learn. However, students with low self-concepts tend to resign themselves and their motivation for problem solving sinks (Guay, Larose & Boivin, 2004; Helmke & Weinert, 1997; Schwarzer & Jerusalem, 2002; Urhahne, 2008). Hagenauer & Hascher (2011) found that some students need more support from teachers or classmates than others, that it is important to respect the different needs of students for abiding by instructions and that student-teacher relationships are related to students’ learning motivation. Wölfer & Cortina (2014) suggested that relationships should not be assumed to be equally important for all students, and Raufelder (2014) found that for some students’ relationships with their classmates were more motivating, while other students were motivated by a positive relationship with their teachers, and the learning motivation of a further group of students did not seem to be related to either relationships with classmates or ones with their teachers. Besides their relationships with classmates and teachers, students benefitted from the perception of a positive class climate. These students liked learning in class, experienced collaborative learning positively and benefitted from a positive socio-emotional learning environment in class.

Studies show that the class environment and the out-of-school context are relevant for students’ learning motivation. Family relationships, support with homework, positive parental behaviour, parental commitment, a social and cultural environment and a higher family income, offer an environment that enables students to improve their learning motivation (Dietz et al., 2005; Sendlmeier & Kröger, 2011; Zimmermann & Sprangler, 2001). Following Bourdieu (1987), the family habitus, which includes resources of the family, their everyday behaviour, and their value systems, is a decisive characteristic of the out-of-school context and also seems important for students’ learning motivation (Archer et al., 2012). The resources of a family and its leisure activities also seem to afford different opportunities. Grunert (2011) noted that besides the family, intact peer relations are also important.

This paper explores how in- and out-of-school components influence perceptions of students’ learning motivation (5^th to 8^th grade).

Hypothesis 1: Class setting affects learning motivation. Hypothesis 2: Learning motivation is related to family and peers. Hypothesis 3: Selected aspects have a significant impact on the development of the learning motivation of students.

Method

Despite extensive research on learning motivation, it seems to be of interest to focus on aspects of supportive in- and out-of-school contexts. Using a longitudinal design to investigate stability and change in students’ learning motivation and their individual development over time through a person-centred approach data were taken from the NOeSIS study (Niederösterreichische Schule in der Schulentwicklung) in Austria. (The NOESIS study is designed as a longitudinal study which follows students in Lower Austria from the last year of grammar school (4th grade) through to the end of compulsory school (5th grade to 8th grade) and a year after transition to Secondary II (9th grade). The student survey took place during regular school classes and lasted for 50 (or in the 5th and 8th grade 100) minutes. To avoid random effects in a single cohort, the decision was made to follow three cohorts of students of the three types of Secondary I schools (Lower Secondary, Lower Academic Secondary and New Middle Schools), with each cohort consisting of N = 3,700 students, their parents and their teachers. Every year from 4th grade to 8th grade, students are periodically asked to fill in questionnaires. The design of the NOESIS study enables an investigation of stability and change in students’ learning motivation and their individual development over time. The database for investigating the research questions consists of about N=600 surveys of students in Lower Austria from the first cohort. Students’ perceptions of their in- and out-of-school learning contexts were recorded annually in the school years 2011/12 to 2014/15 in 16 Lower Austrian New Middle Schools. This paper presents data concerning the learning motivation of 5th to 8th grade students and it focuses on the perceptions of in- and out-of-school aspects to detect changes in students’ learning perceptions over a period of four years collaborative learning in Secondary I. It also explores whether the school class has a significant impact on the development of students’ learning motivation. It explores, in particular, the potential impact on perceptions of students’ learning motivation with respect to in- and out-of-school factors, class climate, cooperation, teacher-student relationships, verbal and maths self-concept of students, educational aspirations and barriers to learning. The assessments of family resources, socio-economic status, collaborative leisure activities and learning support by parents and peers were considered to be of interest for exploring the development of students’ learning motivation.

Expected Outcomes

Statistics reveal that at the beginning of Secondary I, 64% of students were highly motivated, 35% were motivated and 1% reported low motivation for learning. After four years in Secondary I, although fewer students were highly motivated (42%), students were still motivated to learn, with more being motivated (47%). Findings showed a shift from highly motivated to motivated student learning perceptions from 5th grade to 8th grade. From 5th grade to 6th grade, motivation increased (from 35% to 45%), decreased slightly at the end of 7th grade (to 42%) and increased at the end of 8th grade (47%). For students whose motivation increased from 5th to 8th grade, diverse aspects of supportive in- and out-of-school contexts were discovered. The longitudinal analysis showed that different factors influenced the development of learning motivation, depending on school class. Educational aspirations, self-concept (German) and a decrease in learning barriers seem to positively affect the development of learning motivation. Aspects of classroom-climate research, like improvements in perceptions of relationships with teachers and classmates, strongly influenced learning motivation. Family relationships constituted an important aspect of a supportive out-of-school context. Shared creative and cultural activities and activities allowing families to communicate, in combination with spending time together learning, helped students develop learning motivation in Secondary I. These factors seem to have had more impact than increased out-of-school tutoring or peer activities. Shared family activities like sports, spending time with friends, or participating in traditional festivities seem to have made no difference to the development of learning motivation. Hence, those wishing to develop schools must consider both in-school and out-of-school contexts. Relationships with teachers and classmates are factors influencing students’ learning motivation, but relationship with parents, and the opportunity to communicate and share time together, are also aspects of importance for students to develop learning motivation during adolescence.

References

Bourdieu, P. (1987). Die feinen Unterschiede. Kritik der gesellschaftlichen Urteilskraft. Frankfurt: Suhrkomp. Archer, L. et al. (2012). Science Aspirations, Capital, and Family Habitus: How Families Shape Children`s Engagement and Identification With Science. American Educational Research Journal, 49 (5), 881-908. Dietz, F., Schmid, S. & Fries, S. (2005). Lernen oder Freunde treffen? Lernmotivation unter den Bedingungen multipler Handlungsoptionen. Zeitschrift für Pädagogische Psychologie, 19(3), 173-189. Grunert, C. (2011). Außerschulische Bildung. In H. Reinders, H. Ditton, C. Gräsel, B. Gniewosz (Hrsg.), Empirische Bildungsforschung. Gegenstandsbereiche (p. 137-148). Wiesbaden: VS Verlag. Guay, F., Larose, S., & Boivin, M. (2004). Academic self-concept and educational attainment level: A 10-year longitudinal study. Self and Identity, 3(1), 53-68. Hagenauer, G. & Hascher, T. (2011). Learning enjoyment in early adolescence, Educational Research and Evaluation: An International Journal on Theory and Practice, 16(6), 495-516. Helmke, A. & Weinert, F. E. (1997). Bedingungsfaktoren schulischer Leistungen. In F. E. Weinert (Hrsg.), Psychologie des Unterrichts und der Schule (p. 71-176). Göttingen: Hogrefe. Landesschulrat für Niederösterreich (2009). Modellplan für Niederösterreich. Landesschulrat für Niederösterreich. http://www.lsr-noe.gv.atfileModellplan_07_09_2009.pdf [03.11.1014]. Landesschulrat für Niederösterreich (2011). NÖ Mittelschule – Modellplan. Landesschulrat für Niederösterreich. http://www.lsr-noe.gv.at/file/NOE_Mittelschule_2011_Modellplan.pdf [04.10.1014]. Pekrun, R., Goetz, T., Titz, W. & Perry, R. P. (2002). Academic emotions in students’ self-regulated learning and achievement: A program of qualitative and quantitative research. Educational Psychologist, 37, 91–105. Raufelder, D. (2014). Keine Lust auf Schule und Lernen. Die Rolle von Peers und Lehrer/-innen für die schulische Motivation. Schule im Blickpunkt 2013/14, 5 (47), 6-8. Röhr-Sendlmeier, U., Kröger, M. (2011). Die Bedeutung der mütterlichen Berufstätigkeit für Leistungsmotivation und Berufswahlreife von Jugendlichen. Bildung und Erziehung 64(2), 213-238. Schwarzer, R. & Jerusalem, M. (2002). Das Konzept der Selbstwirksamkeit. In M. Jerusalem & D. Hopf (Hrsg.), Selbstwirksamkeit und Motivationsprozesse in Bildungsinstitutionen. Zeitschrift für Pädagogik, Beiheft 44, 28-53. Siebert, H. (2006). Lernmotivation und Bildungsbeteiligung. Bielefeld: Bertelsmann. Urhahne, D. (2008). Sieben Arten der Lernmotivation. Ein Überblick über zentrale Forschungskonzepte. Psychologische Rundschau, 59 (3), 150–166. Wölfer, R. & Cortina, K. S. (2014). Die soziale Dimension der Lernmotivation – Netzwerkanalytische Untersuchung schulischer Zielorientierungen. Zeitschrift für Erziehungswissenschaft, 17(5), 189-204 Zimmermann, P., Sprangler. G. (2001). Jenseits des Klassenzimmers. Der Einfluss der Familie auf Intelligenz, Motivation, Emotion und Leistung im Kontext der Schule. Zeitschrift für Pädagogik 47(4), 461-479.

Author Information

Michaela Kilian (presenting / submitting)

Universität Wien, Austria

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