This document discusses mechanisms of motivation and how technology can impact student motivation. It summarizes theories of motivation involving competence, autonomy, control, goal pursuit, persistence and challenge. It discusses how providing students with choices in their learning and autonomy-supportive teachers can enhance intrinsic motivation, conceptual understanding and creativity. It also emphasizes developing students' interests through optimally challenging activities and connecting students to learning communities.

1. MECHANISMS OF
MOTIVATION
BRIAN HOUSAND, PhD
East Carolina University
!
ANGELA HOUSAND, PhD
University of North Carolina Wilmington

2. Housand, B. C. & Housand, A. M.
(2012). The role of technology in
gifted students’ motivation.
Psychology in the Schools,
49(7), 706-715. !

7. Motivation
is Complex
• Competence
• Autonomy
• Control
• Goal Pursuit
• Persistence
• Challenge
• Interest

8. THEORY
TECH

9. CONTROL

11. Autonomy
The freedom to choose…

12. Autonomy
The more autonomous a
person believes their
behavior to be the greater
the personal satisfaction
and enjoyment from
engaging in that behavior.

13. CHOICE

14. CHOICE

15. THE ILLUSION OF CHOICE

16. MENUS

17. CHOICE

18. CHOICE

19. CHOICE

20. CHOICE

21. CHOICE

23. High achieving students
demonstrated greater
autonomy and
competence than low
achieving students in
computer-based learning
tasks.
!
(Otta & Tavella, 2010)

24. e
nc
pe
te
/C
om
yw
no
m
Au
to
(Otta & Tavella, 2010)

25. Int
rin
s
ic
M
va
pe
te
tio
n
/C
om
oti
yw
no
m
Au
to
(Otta & Tavella, 2010)
nc
e

26. (Otta & Tavella, 2010)
oti
va
rT
oo
yo
ic
M
Ea
s
Int
rin
s
To
o
tio
n
Ha
rd

27. Autonomously-Motivated Students
vs.
Control-Motivated Students
•
•
•
•
•
•
Preference for optimal challenge
Enjoy optimal challenge
Stronger perceptions of control
Greater creativity
More positive emotionality
Higher self-worth
(Reeve, 2002)

28. Educational Benefits of
Autonomy-Supportive Teachers
•
•
•
•
•
Greater conceptual understanding
Greater flexibility in thinking
More information processing
Greater creativity
Higher perceived competence
(Reeve, 2002)

29. FUTURE SHOCK
The shattering stress and
disorientation that we induce in
individuals by subjecting them
to too much change in too
short a time.
- Alvin Toffler

32. POWER
SEARCHING
http://www.powersearchingwithgoogle.com/

35. agoogleaday.com

37. CHALLENGE

39. Ch
w
Flo
a
l
ne
n
Apathy

40. Mihaly
Csikszentmihalyi

42. Ascending Intellectual Demand

43. cty.jhu.edu/ctyonline

44. ctd.northwestern.edu/gll

45. ohs.stanford.edu

46. connectionsacademy.com

47. egifted.org

48. ocw.mit.edu

49. ocwconsortium.org

50. coursera.org

51. iTunes U

52. code.org/learn

53. ACCREDITATION?
CREDIT?

54. CURIOSITY

56. Episodic Curiosity

57. Episodic Curiosity

58. Episodic Curiosity

59. Episodic Curiosity

60. ∞

66. COOPERATION

68. RELATEDNESS...
Feeling connected to others and having a
sense of belonging to a community.

69. Int
rin
s
va
ic
M
oti
Feeling connected to others
and having a sense of
belonging to a community.
tio
n
RELATEDNESS...

70. 76

71. MANIFESTO:
A Guide for Developing a Creative Career
1. Don't be afraid to fall in love with something and pursue it
with intensity.
2. Know, understand, take pride in, practice, develop, exploit
and enjoy your greatest strengths.
3. Learn to free yourself from the expectations of others and
to walk away from the games they impose on you.
Free yourself to play your own game.
4. FIND A GREAT TEACHER OR MENTOR WHO
WILL HELP YOU.
5. Don't waste energy trying to be well rounded.
6. Do what you love and can do well.
7. Learn the skills of interdependence.
(Torrance, 2002)

73. mentoring.org

74. imentoring.org

75. telementor.org

76. PLN

77. COMPETITION

81. studentcompetitions.com

82. diy.org

90. “We may not be able to
prepare the future for
our children,
but at least we can
prepare our children
for the future.”
- Franklin D. Roosevelt