The second component of the ARCS model is called "motivational design." What kinds of motivational strategies could one use to motivate a specific audience to become intrinsically interested, willingly participate and sustain their attention or the "A" of ARCS.
A.1 in Keller's Motivational Categories states, "What can I do to capture their interest?"
This week I returned to summer school to teach Physical Science 8. My class is very small due to budget cuts. I am teaching one class vs. the usual two, and there are only 11 students. Of course, they don't want to be there. Of course, they hate science or they hated their prior science teacher. Using the Attention strategy of Perceptual Arousal: providing novelty, surprisingness, incongruity, or uncertainty, I asked the students, "Why do you think I'm here?" They responded "money". I agreed that was one of the reasons I was teaching summer school. I also reassured them that I enjoy helping students experience success and realize that they are smart and capable. My goal is to convey to the class I can about them and their presence in the class; the hidden goal to satisfy Maslow's belonging and acceptance need. I then went to each student one by one and asked, "Why are you here?" Their answers were either a personal flaw that sabotaged their passing grade or "the teacher", or both! The "teacher" answers confirmed that some students thought they failed because of some external force and did not fully acknowledge that their actions played a part in the negative outcome. (Designing Motivation into Library and Information Skills Instruction (SLMQ, 1998) (Weiner's Attrition theory,1972) (Seligman, 1975). Although they were candid on some of their own personal academic flaws that resulted in summer school, when asked to write down one personal goal for this summer school class the next day, most wrote "to pass summer school". Not enough!! I believe the best way I can meet their needs, (which is to pass summer school), is to provide my learners with at least one clear personal goal that they can associate (Attribution Theory) with the desired positive outcome.
3 comments:
Denise,
I was laughing to myself while reading your post because it sounds like your students are very similar to the SU students I am currently teaching! I agree that their reasons are not satisfying to me, but (as my husband always reminds me) my first job as their teacher is to deliver the material. My second job is to attempt to change their motivation to one that is more academically-oriented and less pure goal-driven.
-Jessica Redmond
Hi Denise,
When you asked personal goals of students, they immediately answered with a traditional answer(pass summer school). It seems to me most of the students also find external factors(teacher) to rationalize the situation. Overall, these answers remind me the locus of control. As we know some students have internal and some students have external locus of control, and this situation effects their performance. My main question is that most of the sources just define these terms, but does not explain how can we help students to have internal locus of control.
Oh! I love seeing that you asked your class about what they felt your motivation was, why they felt they were there, and to state a personal goal and desired outcome.
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