Paradoxical Effects of a Motivational Intervention for College Students in STEM Disciplines

• In Event: Roundtable Session 28
  In Roundtable Session: Investigating Approaches to Learning and Motivation

Abstract

College students in STEM disciplines are expected to successfully deal with academic stress and heightened competition while maintaining the health needed to achieve superior performance (Wai et al., 2010). As such, these students are at risk of overconfidence and the negative implications thereof for well-being and disengagement (Ruthig et al., 2008). One motivational strategy that can help students cope with disappointment is downgrading their expectations (Heckhausen et al., 2010). Given the potential benefits of this motivational strategy for academic adjustment, and the demonstrated benefits for academic motivation, emotions, and performance (Hall et al., 2006b), the present study evaluated the effects of a motivational program encouraging downgrading for pre-medicine college students on their self-reported expectancies academic emotions, well-being, and achievement.

Authors

• Anna Sverdlik, McGill University

• Nathan C. Hall, McGill University

• Kyle Adam Hubbard, McGill University