Building Positive Attitude & Motivation into Your Course… Adapted from Thomas Koballa’s “Framework for the Affective Domain in Science Education”

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Bloom’s Taxonomy Cognitive Domain Cognitive Domain Affective Domain Affective Domain Psychomotor Domain Psychomotor Domain

Cognitive Domain

Affective Domain The affective domain describes learning objectives that emphasize a feeling tone, an emotion, or a degree of acceptance or rejection.

Affective Domain *Attitudes *Attitudes Values Values Beliefs Beliefs Opinions Opinions Interests Interests *Motivation *Motivation

Attitude Attitude: Predisposition to respond negatively or positively towards things, people, events and ideas. Attitude: Predisposition to respond negatively or positively towards things, people, events and ideas.

Questions About Attitude What are student’s attitudes towards learning and towards science? What are student’s attitudes towards learning and towards science? What factors influence student’s attitudes about learning in the sciences? What factors influence student’s attitudes about learning in the sciences? What attitudes about learning and science are worth changing? What attitudes about learning and science are worth changing? What instructional models can be used to form and change negative attitudes? What instructional models can be used to form and change negative attitudes?

What Does Attitude Have To Do With Learning? Attitudes influence motivation, which in turn influences learning and ultimately behavior. Attitudes influence motivation, which in turn influences learning and ultimately behavior.

Motivation Motivation: An internal state that arouses, directs, and sustains behavior. Motivation: An internal state that arouses, directs, and sustains behavior.

Key Motivational Constructs Motivation to do something for its own sake is mainly intrinsic, where as motivation to do it as a means to an end is extrinsic. Students often perform tasks for reasons that are both intrinsically and extrinsically motivated. Motivation to do something for its own sake is mainly intrinsic, where as motivation to do it as a means to an end is extrinsic. Students often perform tasks for reasons that are both intrinsically and extrinsically motivated. Question: How can instruction be designed to help students see that extrinsic and intrinsic motivation can be mutually supportive? Question: How can instruction be designed to help students see that extrinsic and intrinsic motivation can be mutually supportive?

Key Motivational Constructs Mastery Oriented Students…focus on the challenge and mastery of a science task, take risks, view mistakes as learning opportunities. Mastery Oriented Students…focus on the challenge and mastery of a science task, take risks, view mistakes as learning opportunities. Performance Oriented Students…often are preoccupied with gaining social status, pleasing teachers, and avoiding "extra" work. Performance Oriented Students…often are preoccupied with gaining social status, pleasing teachers, and avoiding "extra" work.

Question How do we get our students to be more of a mastery-oriented student? How do we get our students to be more of a mastery-oriented student?

Key Motivational Constructs Self-determination is the ability to have choices and some degree of control in what we do and how we do it (Reeve, Hamm, & Nix, 2003). Self-determination is the ability to have choices and some degree of control in what we do and how we do it (Reeve, Hamm, & Nix, 2003). Question: What instructional strategies can be used in science classes to encourage students to set and pursue goals for themselves, and to give students some degree of control over what they learn and how they learn it? Question: What instructional strategies can be used in science classes to encourage students to set and pursue goals for themselves, and to give students some degree of control over what they learn and how they learn it?

Key Motivational Constructs Self-efficacy: the confidence/belief a student has about his or her ability to succeed in a field of science (Koballa & Glynn, in press). Self-efficacy: the confidence/belief a student has about his or her ability to succeed in a field of science (Koballa & Glynn, in press). Question: What can we do boost student confidence/belief regarding his/her ability to succeed? Question: What can we do boost student confidence/belief regarding his/her ability to succeed?

Key Motivational Constructs Anxiety can be detrimental to learning, although some anxiety helps to motivate students (Cassady & Johnson, 2002). Anxiety can be detrimental to learning, although some anxiety helps to motivate students (Cassady & Johnson, 2002). Question: What kinds of assessment tasks (besides tests) can be used in science classes to reduce the anxiety about assessment? Question: What kinds of assessment tasks (besides tests) can be used in science classes to reduce the anxiety about assessment?

Key Motivational Constructs The Science Motivation Questionnaire (SMQ) assesses six components of motivation (Glynn & Koballa, 2006). The Science Motivation Questionnaire (SMQ) assesses six components of motivation (Glynn & Koballa, 2006). on_Questionnaire.pdf on_Questionnaire.pdf