The relationship of teaching content and structure of motivation for learning

Krajnović, Franka. (2017). The relationship of teaching content and structure of motivation for learning. PhD Thesis. Filozofski fakultet u Zagrebu, Department of Pedagogy.
(Poslijediplomski doktorski studij pedagogije) [mentor Palekčić, Marko].

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Abstract

Relationship between of teaching content and structure of motivation for learning is a dynamic process in which the transformations and enrichment of existing and developing of new motives and interests is construed through students spontaneus experience of objective (material) side of the content. Specific influence of teaching content on learning is developed and constituted in a concrete situation of teaching process. Therefore, the main problem of this research was to determine the relationship between teaching content and motivation for learning with regards to basic presumptions of Self determination theory. Main characteristics of this relationship are based on Humboldt's theory of education, Herbart's theory of educational teaching, Weniger'sTheory of Educational Contents and of the Syllabus and Klafki's theory of categorical education. In that context, intrinsic motivation can be identified with self determined form of motivation for learning which, by transforming the existing and developing new motives and interests in education, attributes/gives pedagogicaly desirable direction to learning. To determine some characteristics of the relationship between teaching content and motivation for learning, we used the instrumentary of the self-determination theory and theory of interest on a student population and also, we have used specially construed for this research, a scale for measuring interest as chosen, possible outcome of learning in the domain of school achievements. For the research sample we chose the appropriate sample (N=359) of two nursing school students which included seven third-year classes and seven fourth year classes of nursing schools Mlinarska and Vrapče in Zagreb. The relationship between educational content and motivation for learning is determined through three problem fields. In the first one we are answering the question of the relationship between educational content and the structure of motivation for learning among nursing school students with regard to basic principles of the self-determination theory. For the basic descriptive parameters we chose regulative styles of motivation (amotivation, external, introjected and identifiable regulation and also intrinsic motivation), self-perception in relation to the subject, concern with regard to the subject and all three dimensions of interest (intrinsic, emotional and value). In the second problem area we focused on establishing the contribution of the learning environment perception to motivation and interestt for learning general and vocational content among nursing school students. For basic descriptive parameteres we chose basic psychological needs (need for social belonging, autonomy and competence), structure of teaching-learning proccess relevance of content, purpose fulness of the subject, teacher involment and the level of difficulty of the subject. In the third problem area the focus was on establishing the contribution and the difference in contribution of different styles of interest and motivation regulation to school achievments through measuring the achieved grade, satisfaction with the grade and the grading system, and through interest for further learning of the subject's content. By simple statistical processes of comparing arithmetic mean and correlations between used descriptive parameters of learning motivation and interest for learning subjects Croatian language and Nursing care, we confirmed the basic premise of the self-determination theory. The same components of regulation of motivation in learning have been determined empirically: external regulation (ER), introjected regulation (IR), identifying regulation (ID), intrinsic motivation (IM) and amotivation (AM). In learning Croatian language students relied the mostly on the introjected form of motivation regulation while in learning Nursing care they relied mostly on external form of motivation regulation. Both forms of motivation regulation appertain to controlling, respectively, less autonomos or self-determination form of motivation, and the starting differences in arithmetic mean have been confirmed by calculating the index of relative autonomy which is of negative value and slightly higher in Croatian language than in Nursing care. By further variance analysis and post hoc comparison using Fisher LSD test, we proved how there are statistically significant differences in the incidence of different regulation styles of motivation and interest in learning different content within schools and among schools. Contribution and difference in contribution of student perception of learning environment to the learning motivation and interest for learning general and vocational content among nursing school students in the second problem area was established through a series of ten standard regression analyses Parameters of perceived learning environment were used as dependent variables or predictors while parameters of motivation and interest for learning were used as independent variables. The results have shown how all used parameters of percieved learning environment (autonomy support, competence support, social connection in the classroom relevance of content that is learned, structure of teaching process, purpose fullness of the subject, engagement of teachers and subject difficulty) explain between 2.5% and 31.1% of the motivation and interest variance (all three dimensions) for learning Croatian language and Nursing care. More accurately, this set od predictors can be used to explain between 3.4% and 31.1% of motivation and interest for learning, while in Nursing care, it can be used to explain between 2.5% and 28.3% of motivation and interest for learning. When the contribution of the used set of predictors to the regulation forms of motivation is isolated, it is possible to use them in explaining between 3.4% and 25.3% of learning motivation, and in Nursing care, between 2.5% and 23.5% of learning motivation. Also, when the contribution of used set of predictors to the interest for learning, the interest being a stable personality charachteristic, it is possible to explain between 16.6% and 31.1% of learning interest in Croatian language, and between 10.6% and 28.7% of learning interest in Nursing care. Further, to establish the contribution and differences in contribution of different styles of regulation of motivation and interest to school achievment measured through achieved grade, dissatisfaction with the grade and grading system, and interest for further learning, we conducted a test with a series of four standard regression analysis. As predictors and dependent variables descriptive parameters of motivation and interest for learning were used, and as independent variables parameters of school achievement measured through chosen outcomes of learning: grade, disatisfaction with the grade and grading system, and also further interest for learning educational content. On the basis of all the used predictors it is possible to explain between 2.9% and 34.4% of student's acomplishment in two subjects variance. Also, on the basis of this set od predictors it is possible to explain betweem 5.7% and 28.9% of the criterion variance in the Croatian language and between 2.9% and 34.4% in Nursing care. When we look at the contribution of regulation styles of motivation in learning different content the contribution of intrinsic motivation is emphasised. Therefore, the remarkable significance of intrinsic motivation for school learning was confirmed empirically by this research. In Croatian language, the combination of this form of motivation (intrinsic, self determind) with two dimensions of interest (value and intrinsic), and in Nursing care, the combination of instrinsic motivation, introjected regulation, amotivation and value dimenson, shows how intrinsic motivation as a factor of perceived learning environment in combination with interest is especially significant in the development and enrichment of the existing motives and interest for further learning of specific content. Although it is generally thought that intrinsically motivated learning is more desirable in an academic context, our research shed a special light on the regulation of motivation for learning in vocational schools for nurses. Namely, the set of variables that is connected with the motivation for learning and interest in one subject doesn't have to apply in the same measure to the motivation for learning and interest in the other subject. This additionally supports the claim that learning is a process filled with meaning and that it reaches its full purpose when the motivation is perceived as both the starting point and the outcome of teaching process. Performing the activity for its own sake in the teaching process is not possible if we start from the ideal image of a student who is interested (has an interest) for the educational content and who contributes productively to the sucess of learning. This expression is meaningful only if the motivation in the teaching process is considered to be inherently (intrinsic) determined, for example to cognitive or affective area of learning. The object of learning what is learned determines the nature of the appropriate (intrinsic) motivation. The implications of the research of the relationship between educational content and motivation for learning content among nursing school students can be numerous and different and can therefore influence the approach and the direction of the research of the curriculum and teaching process in nursing education. This research opened a new research area which can be meaningful for elucidation of professional development and interest especially because vocational education is given special relevance in contemporary discussions about education.

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