Self-regulation
Task 1
What role does motivation play in goal achievement?
Intrinsic motivation has been associated with a number of positive outcomes, including
creativity, enhanced task performance, and higher psychological well-being.
A large empirically-based literature has demonstrated the positive relations of more
autonomous forms of classroom motivation with academic outcomes. This is likely due in
part to the greater effort students put forth when autonomously motivated. In addition, the
more internalized the motivation, the more it becomes part of a learner’s identity.
Second, basic psychological need supports have shown robust positive effects on school
outcomes. Studies show that students of more autonomy-supportive teachers have more
intrinsic motivation, perceived competence, and self-esteem, better grades, greater
internalization for learning activities, and lower dropout.
Also: a longitudinal study of Chinese students found that teacher autonomy support predicted
engagement which was associated with lower symptoms of anxiety and depression.
Nearly all of the dimensions of need satisfaction (i.e., autonomy, competence, and
relatedness) were significantly correlated with intrinsic motivation in a positive direction and
with amotivation in a negative direction. It was also found that perceived success for program
achievement and technology use each had a significant large positive relationship with
intrinsic motivation and a significant large negative relationship with amotivation.
Autonomous motivation at T1 was significantly and positively linked to subjective vitality at
T2, with the same positive association observed between subjective vitality at T1 and
autonomous motivation at T2.
In terms of direct paths, the results revealed that condition (textbook versus mobile
application) significantly predicted perceived competence, perceived autonomy and intrinsic
motivation. Perceived autonomy significantly predicted intrinsic motivation, and perceived
competence significantly predicted intrinsic motivation and achievement. Finally, intrinsic
motivation significantly predicted positive affect.
There was a significant indirect effect from condition to intrinsic motivation to positive affect,
suggesting that using the mobile application (versus textbook) predicted higher levels of
intrinsic motivation, which, in turn, predicted higher levels of positive affect. Further, a
significant indirect effect was found from condition to perceived autonomy to intrinsic
motivation to positive affect. This indirect effect suggests that participants who used the
mobile application (versus textbook) experienced higher levels of perceived autonomy,
which, in turn, predicted higher levels of intrinsic motivation, which, in turn, predicted higher
levels of positive affect. There was also a trend from condition to achievement through
perceived competence, indicating that using the mobile application (versus textbook)
predicted higher levels of perceived competence, which in turn predicted higher levels of
achievement.
What is self-determination (theory) and what role does it play in goal achievement?
Self-determination theory argues that motivational orientations that guide behavior have
important consequences for healthy behavioral regulation and psychological well-being.
, Self-regulation is an umbrella term used to describe the various processes by which people
pursue and attain goalsinclude processes that are initiated consciously and deliberately, as
well as those that are more automatic and operate without conscious intent or monitoring.
How can we influence motivation?
Cognitive evaluation theory (CET) specifies the social contextual features that can impact,
both positively and negatively, intrinsic motivational processes. Intrinsic motivation depends
on conditions that allow (1) an experience of autonomy or an internal perceived locus of
causality, and (2) the experience of effectance or competence. In order for an individual to
become more self-determined in his or her action it is postulated that conditions within a
social context must provide opportunities for the individual to satisfy three basic
psychological needs: autonomy (being the perceived origin of one's own behavior),
competence (feeling effective and capable) and relatedness (feeling connected to others).
Specifically, CET suggests that the need for autonomy is satisfied in learning tasks when
individuals experience meaningful choices and volition, and the need for competence is
satisfied when individuals are provided with optimal challenges and effectance‐relevant
feedback. Moreover, CET posits that learning tasks that satisfy and support the needs for
autonomy and competence will, in turn, enhance intrinsic motivation, performance (eg,
achievement) and well‐being (eg, having high positive affect and low negative affect).
Research suggests that this is universal over different cultures. Cultures differ though in how
these needs are fulfilled. For example, in some cultures behaviors that might be functionally
significant as controlling to American students may be perceived less negatively. But
autonomy support entails, by definition, respecting and attempting to appreciate the
perspective of, and unique challenges faced by, each learner.
Supporting intrinsic motivation (social support):
-Context in which rewards are used to control behavior undermine intrinsic motivation and
yield many hidden costs that were unanticipated by reward-based theories of
motivationfoster the recipient's perception that the cause of their behavior lies in forces
external to the self.
-When motivators attempt to move people through threats, deadlines, demands, external
evaluations, and imposed goals, intrinsic motivation is diminished.
-Intrinsic motivation also appears to more frequently occur in relationally supportive contexts.
-However, by definition, intrinsic motivation will be manifest only for activities that
potentially offer inherent interest or enjoyment to the individual.
Supporting more autonomous extrinsic motivation (social support):
-Beginning in early childhood, the ratio of intrinsic to extrinsic motivation begins to shift
dramatically in the direction of extrinsic activities. Indeed, as we grow older, most of us spend
less and less time simply pursuing what interests us and more and more time pursuing goals
and responsibilities that the social world obliges us to perform.
-Self-determination theory frames this issue in terms of how to foster the internalization and
integration of the value and regulation of extrinsically motivated behavior. As noted already,
internalization refers to the adoption of a value or regulation, and integration involves the
incorporation of that regulation into the sense of self, such that the behavior feels self-
endorsed and volitional.
-Social supports for the psychological needs of competence, relatedness, and autonomy
appears to foster not only the autonomous functioning seen in intrinsically motivated behavior
but also the internalization and integration of behaviors focused on extrinsic goals.
