Above is an interesting TED talk that has very practical explanations of procrastination and other learning misconceptions that we all have and some suggestions to move beyond them.
A fun political clip of President Reagan commenting on how Governor Walter Mondale is not who I will be quoting next.
Thomas Jefferson in his work in the Declaration of Independence penned the words "Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness." He and the other Founding Fathers sought independence from England because they thought that Americans could best pursue happiness through life lived in liberty. Liberty is defined by the Merriam-Webster online dictionary the following ways:
Full Definition of LIBERTY
1: the quality or state of being free:
a : the power to do as one pleases
b : freedom from physical restraint
c : freedom from arbitrary or despotic control
d : the positive enjoyment of various social, political, or economic rights and privileges
e : the power of choice
2:
a : a right or immunity enjoyed by prescription or by grant : privilege
b : permission especially to go freely within specified limits
3: an action going beyond normal limits: as
a : a breach of etiquette or propriety : familiarity
b : risk, chance <took foolish liberties with his health>
c : a violation of rules or a deviation from standard practice
d : a distortion of fact
4: a short authorized absence from naval duty usually for less than 48 hours
— at liberty
Liberty in America (keeping in mind the definition: power to do as one chooses) in some ways is a lost art. What I mean by this is many modern Americans appear to not display the drive that previous generations showed. I think this is illustrated in the complaints from older generations about the younger generation, for example: "Kids these days do not know how to hold a good conversation, or take responsibility for their actions."
Our learners may lack motivation because they have been conditioned to live life passively not in a manner guided by personal liberty and acting on that liberty, choosing to pursue a happiness. Learning may therefore become hindered by an internal struggle that could be resolved by the learner taking responsibility for their learning and seeking appropriate help from others.
Perhaps the instructional designer's job is to rekindle the pursuit of happiness through the liberty of critical thinking that will empower the learner to overcome mental road blocks to learning. This may also be a return to the creativity of childhood learning. One study by Dr. Woodward has shown that as early as six months old we start showing goal-oriented intentions that we focus on learning and developing (1998).
When considering instructional design we need to find ways to best get our learners thinking critically and making choices so that when they do what they need to learn it sticks in a way that they can do it again and again. Perhaps this will lift many in our society out of the passive ignorance they live in.
Dr. John Keller came up with the motivational design model known more commonly as ARCS (Attention, Relevance, Confidence, Satisfaction). His four categories of motivation variables can be divided further into sub-categories (the following is an excerpt of his work):
Attention = Capturing the interest of learners, stimulating their curiosity to learn.
- Perceptual Arousal: What can I do to capture their interest?
- Inquiry Arousal: How can I stimulate an attitude of inquiry?
- Variability: How can I maintain their attention?
Relevance = Meeting the personal needs/goals of the learner to affect a positive attitude.
- Goal Orientation: How can I best meet my learner’s needs? (Do I know their needs?)
- Motive Matching: How and when can I provide my learners with appropriate choices, responsibilities and influences?
- Familiarity: How can I tie the instruction to the learners’ experience?
Confidence = Helping the learners believe/feel that they will succeed and control their success.
- Learning Requirements: How can I assist in building a positive expectation for success?
- Success Opportunities: How will the learning experience support or enhance the learners’ beliefs in their competence?
- Personal Control: How will learners clearly know their success is based upon their efforts and abilities?
Satisfaction = Reinforcing accomplishment with rewards (internal and external).
- Natural Consequences: How can I provide meaningful opportunities for learners to use their newly acquired knowledge/skill?
- Positive Consequences: What will provide reinforcement to the learners’ successes?
- Equity: How can I assist the learners in anchoring a positive feeling about their accomplishments?
Another area to think about when considering motivation of learning in instructional design is the learner's learning orientation as proposed by Dr. Martinez (1999):
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Four Orientations
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Emotional/Intentional Aspects
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Strategic Planning & Committed Learning Effort
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Learning Autonomy
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Transforming Learner
(Innovation)
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A transforming learner:
Focuses strong passions and intentions on learning.
Is an assertive, expert, highly self-motivated learner.
Uses exploratory learning to transform to high, personal standards.
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A transforming learner:
Sets and achieves personal short- and long-term challenging goals that may or may not align with goals set by others; maximizes effort to reach important personal goals.
Commits great effort to discover, elaborate, and build new knowledge and meaning.
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A transforming learner:
Assumes learning responsibility and self-manages goals, learning, progress, and outcomes.
Experiences frustration if restricted or given little learning autonomy.
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Performing Learner
(Implementor)
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A performing learner:
Focuses emotions/ intentions on learning selectively or situationally.
Is self-motivated when the content appeals.
Meets above-average group standards only when the goal/benefit appeals.
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A performing learner:
Sets and achieves short-term, task-oriented goals that meet average-to-high standards; situationally minimizes efforts and standards to save time.
Will reach assigned or negotiated standards.
Selectively commits measured effort to assimilate and use relevant knowledge and meaning.
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A performing learner:
Will situationally assume learning responsibility in areas of interest but willingly gives up control in areas of less interest.
Prefers coaching and interaction for achieving goals.
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Conforming Learner
(Sustainer)
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A conforming learner:
Focuses intentions and emotions cautiously and routinely as directed.
Is a low-risk, modestly effective, extrinsically motivated learner.
Uses learning to conform to easily achieved group standards.
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A conforming learner:
Follows and tries to achieve simple task-oriented goals assigned and guided by others, then tries to please and conform; maximizes efforts in supportive relationships with safe standards.
Commits careful, measured effort to accept and reproduce knowledge to meet external requirements.
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A conforming learner:
Assumes little responsibility, manages learning as little as possible, is compliant, wants continual guidance, and expects reinforcement for achieving short-term goals.
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Resistant Learner
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A resistant learner:
Focuses on not cooperating.
Is an actively or passively resistant learner.
Avoids using learning to achieve academic goals assigned by others.
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A resistant learner:
Considers lower standards, fewer academic goals, conflicting personal goals, or no goals; maximizes or minimizes efforts to resist assigned or expected goals either assertively or passively. Chronically avoids learning (apathetic, frustrated, unable, discouraged, or disobedient).
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A resistant learner:
Assumes responsibility for not meeting goals set by others, sets personal goals that avoid meeting formal learning requirements or expectations.
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Note: In determining orientation, we must allow for the possibility of “situational performance or resistance.” Learners may improve, perform, or resist in reaction to situations of positive or negative learning conditions.
Table: Four learning orientations organized by three critical learner-difference attributes.
With all this in mind, we can think critically about how to design the instruction that we need to design. Then we can design it.
ARCS Model
Whereas several models exist for evaluating such factors, the most prominent model for evaluating motivation is the ARCS model (Keller, 1987). The main categories for the ARCS model (attention, relevance, confidence, and satisfaction) provide a systematic structure for designing motivational strategies for learners. This structure may be integrated with lesson plans and instructional goals to implement motivational tactics. An evaluation of the instructional material, combined with an evaluation of the student and teacher, will help the designer integrate effective motivation.
References:
Keller, J. M. (1987). Strategies for stimulating the motivation to learn. Performance and Instruction. 26(8), 1-7.
TEDx Talks. (2014, August 5). Learning how to learn | Barbara Oakley | TEDxOaklandUniversity [Video
file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O96fE1E-rf8
Woodward, A. (1998). Infants selectively encode the goal object of an actor's reach. Cognition, 69, 1-34.
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