Motivation towards learning: a study of Alberni District Secondary School's project based learning Grade 9 program
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Authors
Dvorak, Ryan
Issue Date
2012
Type
Thesis
Language
en
Subject
Alternative Title
Abstract
The purpose of the current study was to determine if participation in Alberni District Secondary School’s Project Based Learning (PBL) Program has had an impact on student motivation towards learning. This was done by measuring changes in a broad range of motivational constructs at the individual and group level. The study was a mixed method, explanatory design using a static group pre-test and post-test, and was conducted over a three month time period (September 6 – December 6, 2011). The participants in the study were 14 students enrolled in the ADSS Project Based Learning program. The results of the research were that participant self-reported motivation increased significantly for the following constructs: self-efficacy, intrinsic motivation, and group work as a positive experience. No significant decreases in motivational orientation were found for individual or group motivational orientations. The principal conclusion of the current study was that for participants in the ADSS Project Based Learning program, student motivation is a complex, multi-dimensional process that is mediated by both individual and group orientations and experiences. Implications for practice based on the present study discuss how teachers of PBL should critically examine the design of PBL environments to make student motivation an explicit design element.
Description
Citation
Publisher
Vancouver Island University