Changes in Student Motivation During Online Learning

By  Theodore W. Frick and Kyong-Jee Kim

SUMMARY

This article by Frick and Kim focuses on why there is such a high attrition rate among first time online learners, and what we can do as instructional designers (ID) to design and develop online courses that increase a learner’s motivation to learn (and persist with the learning).  The authors first discuss what past studies revealed in Review of the Literature, and  and then conducts its own study in The Present Study.

REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE

Wlodowski (1998) states that learning experiences must be highly motivating to foster the learner’s persistence to pursue lifelong learning.  In a review of current literature, Kim and Frick (2011) identify three factors that influence a learner’s motivation to learn: internal factors, external factors, and personal factors.

Internal Factors

This section begins by discussing Keller’s ARCS model of motivational design whereby attention, relevance, confidence and satisfaction are identified as being key components that must be designed into all training courses. They also discussed confidence and self-efficacy as being important since self-efficacy can play such an important role in a learner’s belief in their own ability to succeed (Bandura, 1997).  In reading this section, I found the authors’ findings and recommendations could be classified as either factors that increase motivation or factors that decrease motivation, as follows.

Factors that Increase Student Motivation	Factors that may Decrease Student Motivation
Computer/internet self-efficacy	Cognitive overload, especially for first time online learners
Academic Learning Time (ALT) – Where learning is scaffolded so that the student is engaged at the proper level for success (learning is not too difficult or too easy – it is in the student’s zone of proximal development)	Going outside the student’s zone of proximal development
When ALT and First Principles occurred student’s are 3.6 times more likely to experience satisfaction with the course	If student’s felt they experienced ALT negatively, they were assessed as 10 times more liley to have a low degree of mastery
The convenience, flexibility, and control found in online learning can contribute to a learner’s motivation	High school students reported that the social interaction available in traditional classroom instruction is important.  Does this lack of social interaction result in decreased motivation in online learning?
The control over pace and timing is also an important factor	Technical difficulties and communications breakdowns
Interface designs for the human to computer interface
Level of interaction

External Factors

External factors are those that are influenced by the environment in which the student takes the online learning.  Examples of external factors include: learner support, technical support, the student’s instructional and organizational climate.

Personal Factors

While studies are not conclusive, some believe if the ID matches the instructional strategies with the student’s learning styles the learner will be positively motivated.  Past studies also attribute the student’s temperament, gender and age to motivation.  Lastly, a prospective student’s past experiences with online learning and the resulting perceptions about online learning can also impact motivation.

PRESENT STUDY

The present study was conducted on self-directed e-learning (SDEL) where adults are taking independent study courses via the web.  SDEL courses typically have the following characteristics:

·         No formal or a less formal enrollment

·         No set schedule or timeline

·         Self-paced with the pace established by the student

·         No instructor to interact with or motivate students

·         Little or no peer interaction

The purpose of the study was to determine how student motivation changes as they progress through the course.  Data was collected from 800 students using questionnaires.  Students were drawn from universities, the business sector, and government and non profits.  The surveys focused on three main areas:

·         Motivation when beginning the course

·         Motivation during the course

·         Change in motivation while taking the course

The types of courses taken and time spent on the courses varied considerably, however 94.2% of the respondents indicated that the reasons for taking the online training was because classroom training did not fit their schedules or a course was unavailable, or because online training was convenient and flexible (Frick and Kim, 2011).   Respondents reported a relatively neutral (flat) change in motivation as follows:

·         40% reported no change in motivation

·         34% reported an increase in motivation

·         26% reported a decrease in motivation

The three most important factors that appeared to determine motivation at the outset of the training were perceived relevance of the training, the student’s technology competence (self-efficacy), and the student’s age.  Two factors seemed to be the best predictors for motivation during the course:  the belief that e-learning is right for me and the level of motivation held at the outset of the training.  The best predictor for a change in motivation is the motivation experienced during the course, and lastly, the best predictor for the student’s satisfaction for the course at completion is the change in motivation experienced during the course. 

DISCUSSION

I have been a fan of Wlodowski since using one of his books as an undergraduate that dealt with strategies for teaching adults - a book that I continue to use regularly to this date. The updated version of the book is: Enhancing Adult Motivation to Learn: A Comprehensive Guide for Teaching All Adults by Raymond J. Wlodkowski (Apr 18, 2008).  I highly recommend the book of you develop training for adults.  

Are internal factors also intrinsic motivators?  External factors extrinsic motivators?  I guess Personal factors could be intrinsic or extrinsic.  I bring this up because I seem to recall reading (probably Wlodowski or Bandura) that intrinsic motivators (like relevance and inclusion) are more deeply ingrained, longer lived, and cause students to persist more so than extrinsic motivators.  Extrinsic motivators (such as rewards) have a tendency to be shorter lived and do not necessarily result in student persistence.  Extrinsic motivators are good to spur slumping motivation. 

To me, the present studies seemed to suggest that motivation begets motivation.  If the student was motivated to begin the class, motivation was likely to continue as long as nothing went wrong – internally or externally. This also suggests to me that a properly motivated student is ours for the losing – if that makes sense.  In my experience, most adult students who come to SDEL of their own volition or choosing do come intrinsically motivated. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bandura, Albert (1997).  Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. Freeman: New York.

Wlodkowski, Raymond J. (2008).  Enhancing Adult Motivation to Learn: A Comprehensive Guide for Teaching All Adults.  3rd Edition.  Jossey-Bass: Hoboken, NJ.