Social policy, educational opportunity, and classroom practice: a co-regulation approach to research on student motivation and achievement

Students who are underachieving in secondary school are likely to hold maladaptive motivation orientations that, unless changed, will have a negative impact on their future achievement. In this study 57 students from two schools with large Pasifika populations were offered supplementary teaching and learning opportunities via two different study skills programmes to improve their motivation and achievement. Participants (including 28 Pasifika students) were randomly assigned to either a traditional study skills (TS) or a motivation-enhanced study skills (MS) programme. NCEA results showed that students in the MS intervention attained more credits and showed significantly greater reduction in the negative motivation orientation uncertain control, compared to students in the TS skills programme. Students also reported that their relationships with their teachers and how their teachers communicated with them about learning was important to their motivation and achievement. Based on these findings, recommendations are made for teacher use of internally assessed NCEA standards as the context for interventions designed to enhance student motivation and achievement, in light of proposed changes to NCEA.

Download Full-text

Motivation interventions via study programmes for under-achieving students, focusing on Paifika students

10.26686/wgtn.17143109 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

◽

Peter Sanders

Keyword(s):

Academic Achievement ◽

New Zealand ◽

Student Motivation ◽

Quantitative Data ◽

Qualitative Data ◽

Mixed Methods Study ◽

Motivation Factors ◽

Personal Motivation ◽

Pasifika Students ◽

Motivation And Achievement

<p>Research has shown that lower motivation orientations are associated with under-achievement and that ethnicity may also be associated with motivation and achievement. This study investigates if student motivation can be altered by two intervention programmes — a traditional study (TS) programme and a motivation-enhanced study (MS) programme. A total of 57 students participated, from three different groups, attending Year 11 (median age 15 years) at two New Zealand Secondary Schools. This mixed-methods study used Martin’s (2008) Student Motivation and Engagement Scale (MES-HS) and Meyer, McClure, Walkey, McKenzie and Weirs’ (2008) Survey of NCEA Goals Year 10 and Year 11 Students to gain quantitative data. Qualitative data about perceptions on motivation and achievement were gained from interviews with students. MS students, across all three groups, had steeper gains in academic achievement, showed decreases in maladaptive intra-personal motivation orientations and increases in inter-personal motivation orientations compared to corresponding TS students. However, Pasifika students had the highest gains in achievement, showed stronger decrease on intra-personal adaptive motivation factors, and greater increases on inter-personal motivation orientations compared to non-Pasifika students. These results are discussed within a theoretical framework of how changes in intra-personal and inter-personal motivation orientations may be associated with ethnicity and achievement-related outcomes.</p>

Download Full-text