Probabilistic Motivation Profiles and Their Link to Student Behaviors in Log Data (Poster 44)

• In Event: AERA Poster Session Eight
  In Poster Session: Cognitive and Motivational Processes: Poster Session Two

Abstract

Motivation is a multi-faceted construct that has complex relationships with behavior. To better understand student motivations in a large introductory statistics course, we cluster different aspects of student motivation and investigate their link to observed student engagement in an online textbook. A soft clustering method reveals three distinct motivation profiles in students: reluctant, motivated, and confident. Membership in the confident group is associated with GPA and financial hardship, but not with engagement metrics that reflect student choice, such as time spent. Contrary to the simple hypothesis that better motivation will lead to higher engagement, students with “reluctant” and “motivated” profiles seem to spend similar efforts for course preparation but spend less of it progressing with learning, and more time struggling.

Author

• Gahyun Callie Sung, Harvard University
  Presenting Author