Achievement Motivation : Self - Theories Nida Rinthapol UCSB November 15, 2008 BMWA Workshop

Based on Carol Dweck’s works "people develop beliefs that organize their world and give meaning to their experiences. These beliefs may be called meaning systems, and different people create different meaning systems" (p. 11). people create different meaning systems" (p. 11). There are two views of intelligence as learning and problem solving competence Entity View Entity View Incremental View Incremental View

Entity View of Intelligence Intelligence is something fixed and stable. Entity theorists usually concerned with “ looking smart” which leading them to become more performance oriented. Learned helplessness: giving up too easy.

Incremental View Believe that intelligence is malleable and changeable. Intelligence can be increased by putting in more effort. (keep on trying!) Emphasis on gaining knowledge more than just getting good grades. (Learning Oriented).

When facing failure….. Entity self-theorists respond by giving up: learned helplessness. Incremental self- theorists become more motivated to improve when encountering challenging tasks.

Story of Kenneth Yeh Chinese immigrant who became a millionaire when he was 28 years old. Chinese immigrant who became a millionaire when he was 28 years old. BS from UCLA in Computer Engineering and went on to get his MS from USC. BS from UCLA in Computer Engineering and went on to get his MS from USC. Let’s see what he has to say…….

Why are these self theories important for improving schooling outcomes of diverse students? Teachers and counselors need to inculcate incremental self-theories in supporting learning Parents as well need to be informed about self-theories Need to understand how cultural traditions might intersect with self-theories