Student Motivation: How Much Can We Really Do

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Student MotivationHow Much Can We Really Do?

• Jeffrey McClellan
• Utah Valley State College

2005 NACADA National Conference 110
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What is motivation?

• The word motive derives from the Latin movere,
  meaning to move.
• Movement . . .
• towards a positive future

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What do we want to move them to do?

• Brainstorm

• Motivation and a self regulated strategy,
  including self-efficacy and a learning goal
  orientation, are important factors for both high
  and low achievers. (Kramer, 2000, p. 86)

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By the end of this presentation
NOT!!

• Your students will listen to and do everything
  you tell them to do
• Your children will be perfect
• Everyone will do whatever you want them to do
• Your dog will smile

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Motivation vs Manipulation

• About serving others
• Takes people as they are
• Based on time, effort, and sincerity
• Is hard

• About serving self
• Forces people to be what we want them to be
• Based on the use of techniques
• Is easy

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Theories of Motivation

• Need based
• MaslowHierarchy of Needs (Maslow et al., 1998)
• McClellandAcquired Needs Theory (Kreitner
  Kinicki, 2001)
• William JamesDeepest Needs (Kreitner Kinicki,
  2001)
• Reward based
• HerzbergHygiene and Motivation (Kreitner
  Kinicki, 2001)
• Environment based
• ARCS (Keller Suzuki, 1998)
• Behavioral theory
• Goal based
• Dweck LeggettAchievement goals
• Perception based
• Bandura--Self-efficacy (Bandura, 1997)
• Attribution theory (Hong, et. al., 1999)
• FranklLogotherapy (Frankl, 1984)
• Brain Based
• Neuroanatomy of motivation
• cognition, control, fear, and pleasure (zull,
  51)

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HowThe reality

• Motivation is more complex
• Multiple variables/needs (Mintzberg, 1983)

External Factors
Internal Factors
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Complexity

• Recognize that if they are talking to you the
  problem is more complex than they might even know
• Avoid the desire to provide oversimplified
  solutions

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Internal Factors

• Needs
• Wants
• Interests
• Self-efficacy
• Actual abilities
• Mental Models
• Knowledge
• Beliefs
• Genetics/instinct

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External Factors

• Relationships
• Finances
• Access to resources
• Rewards
• Consequences
• Social status
• Group memberships

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Dynamic Equilibrium

• The biggest player . . . standing in the way of
  an individuals chances to learn and grow is . .
  . dynamic equilibrium (Kegan Lahey, 2001, p.
  5).

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Dynamic equilibrium

Future
- Future
Stagnation
Dynamic Equalibrium
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Examples

• A student enters your office to choose a major,
  but is having difficulty deciding. You ask the
  student what she is considering and she says,
  nursing.
• What forces might be pushing her to pursue a
  major in nursing?
• What forces might be pushing her not to?
• What will happen as long as these forces remain
  equal?

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Motivation Process

• Step 1 Listen, empathize, and explore

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Questions

• What benefit do you expect to gain from your
  action?
• What consequences do you think you are avoiding?
• How much effort do you think you will have to
  apply to achieve the benefit?
• Help them test their perceptions for accuracy.
• A powerful question
• What is the most significant thing standing
  between you and your decision?

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Outcome

• What happens when you explore these questions
  with the student?

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Overcoming Dynamic Equilibrium(Concept adapted
from Schein, 1992)

• Provide Psychological Safety
• (positive force safety)
• Vision
• Information
• Appreciation
• Develop skills
• Assurance and provision of support

• Increasing Conflict (dissonance)
• Feedback
• Positive vision

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Motivation Process

• Step 1 Listen, empathize, and explore
• Step 2 Check conflict/safety levels
• Step 3 Introduce conflict/safety into the system

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Catalytic Moments

• Seven factors that contribute to mind change
  (Gardner, 2004)
• Reason
• Research
• Resonance
• Rewards and Resources
• Real world events
• Rediscriptions (viable alternate stories)
• Resistances

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Tipping the scales

• Mind changes are likely to occur when all seven
  factors pull in a mind changing directionand
  are most unlikely to occur when all or most of
  these factors oppose the mind change (Gardner,
  p. 66).
• A small shift can tip the balance

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Awareness

• Awareness facilitates choice
• Without awareness, we simply respond
• The choice depends on the nature of the perceived
  forces acting upon the individual (French
  Raven, 2005, p. 321)

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Motivation Process

• Step 1 Listen and empathize
• Step 2 Check conflict/safety levels
• Step 3 Introduce conflict/safety into the system
• Step 4 Increase awareness
• Step 5 Encourage choice

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Supporting the move

• Two types of support (Khoshaba Maddi, 2005)
• Encouragement
• Assistance
• Avoid
• Autobiographical scripting or subtle competition
  (Covey, 1989 Khoshaba Maddi, 2005)
• Overprotection (Khoshaba Maddi, 2005)

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Motivation Process

• Step 1 Listen and empathize
• Step 2 Check conflict/safety levels
• Step 3 Introduce conflict/safety into the system
• Step 4 Increase awareness
• Step 5 Encourage agency
• Step 6 Provide appropriate support

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How much can we do?

• Motivating others begins with empathic listening
  and active exploration and . . .
• moves through conflict and safety towards
  understanding and awareness, which . . .
• when supported by encouragement and assistance
  results in action towards a positive future
• The advisor can facilitate the process, but the
  impetus to move must come from within the student
• Thus our power is the power to kindle (motivate)
  but we should be careful not burn (manipulate)!

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Edison, the boy, and the bulb

• Like Edison, advisors have the power to greatly
  influence lives, to make a difference. This is
  the power all educators possess -- the power to
  kindle the fire of creativity, and the power to
  extinguish it the power to make college a
  safe, secure and friendly place, and the power to
  make it a nightmare the power to develop in
  learners the attitudes of acceptance and
  appreciation of differences, and the power to
  reinforce existing stereotypes the power to
  begin teaching persons from where they start and
  take them further, and the power to frustrate
  them and discourage them from learning.
  (Conceptual framework, 2003)
• http//www.gustavus.edu/oncampus/academics/educati
  on/genprogram/conceptframe.html

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Go light some fires
Students