1. Knowing Yourself: A Focus on Your Strengths and Motivation
Chapter 2
Knowing Yourself: A Focus on Your Strengths and Motivation

2. Questions to Consider
Is personality related to college success? If so, how?
Are there different types of intelligence? What are your strengths?
How do you learn best?
Do rewards increase your motivation? Why or why not?

3. Questions to Consider
How can thinking positively and productively contribute to your success?
What “needs” must be met before you can reach your potential?
How can others help you get and stay motivated?

4. Conand (2006)
Research Question: Do personality and behavior impact student success in college?
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5. The Study Semester Grades 300 Students Personality inventory
Self-report GPA and SAT
Attendance
Semester Grades

6. Personality Factors Openness- tries new things, enjoys variety
Conscientiousness- responsible, organized, careful, self-disciplined
Extraversion- enjoys being around others, social
Agreeableness- cooperative, trusting of others
Neuroticism- worries a lot, anxious, high strung

7. The Results!
Conscientiousness was the only personality variable connected to grades
Attendance and SAT scores were also connected to grades

8. The So What Factor
While we can’t easily change our personality, we can change our behaviors
Engage in behaviors that are consistent with someone who is conscientious- such as attending class!

9. What’s Your Personality Type?
Take the Big Five Personality Inventory (Goldberg, 1992)
*See Figure 2.1 in Chapter 2 of Student Success in College: Doing What Works!

10. What is Intelligence? One’s ability or potential;
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One’s ability or potential;
It’s innate and fairly stable over time

11. Gardner’s Multiple Intelligence
Verbal/linguistic
Logical/mathematical
Visual-spatial
Bodily/kinesthetic
Musical
Intrapersonal
Interpersonal
Naturalistic
Take the Multiple Intelligence Personal Preference Inventory (Martin, 2003)- Time for Action 2.6

12. Sternberg’s Triarchic Theory of Intelligence
Analytical
Practical
Creative

13. Gardner and Sternberg
Both theories encourage us to look at intelligence from a broad perspective
Focus is on your strengths

14. Learning Styles: How you prefer to use your abilities to take in information
Visual
Kinesthetic
Auditory

15. Learning Style Strategies
Visual
Auditory
Kinesthetic
Focus on pictures, images, graphs and charts
Focus on lectures, record them for review later
Seeks out “hands on” tasks
Use concept or mind mapping note-taking format
Read aloud or listen to others explain concepts
Interactive or practice quizzes

16. Learning and Teaching Styles
You can learn regardless of whether teaching style matches your learning style
What matters most is that the teaching style matches the content
What learning style would work best for:
Recent historical events
Geography
Calculus
Learning concepts in psychology
Sociological theories
Economics

17. Waschull (2005)
Predicting success in online psychology courses: Self-discipline and motivation
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18. What student characteristics predict success in an on-line class?
The Research Question
What student characteristics predict success in an on-line class?
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19. The Study 57 College Students Questionnaire
Personal traits, lifestyle factors, motivation, study skills, text-based learning, technology access, technology experience
Assignment Grades
Test and Exam Scores
Final Grade

20. The Results! Self-discipline and motivation predicted success
Other questionnaire variables did not predict success (including technology experience!)

21. The So What Factor!
Self-discipline and motivation are important whether it’s an on-line or in person class!

22. MOTIVATION!
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23. Why are you in college?
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24. Behavioral Motivators
Our behaviors are motivated by consequences. We’ll keep doing behaviors if rewarded.
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25. Reward Strategies
Use tangible (paychecks, grades) and social (praise, smiles) rewards
Make the reward personally meaningful
“Match” the reward to the task
Small rewards for small tasks
Large rewards for large tasks

26. Cognitive Theory and Motivation
Our thoughts and interpretations of events impact our mood, behavior, and level of motivation.
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27. Cognitive Strategies
See Figure 2.1 in Chapter 2 of Student Success in College: Doing What Works!

28. Your belief in your ability to complete tasks successfully.
Self-Efficacy
Your belief in your ability to complete tasks successfully.
To increase self-efficacy:
Have courage to try new tasks
Identify realistic goals and plan to achieve them
Ask for help when needed
Realize everyone makes mistakes

29. Humanistic Theory and Motivation
Everyone wants to succeed and can do so if their basic needs are met.
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30. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
See Figure 2.3 in Chapter 2 of Student Success in College: Doing What Works!

31. Social Theory and Motivation
We are social creatures and our relationships with others significantly impact our motivation.
See Figure 2.4 in Chapter 2 of Student Success in College: Doing What Works!
Surround yourself with a positive support system!