How Can We Address Students' Multiple Motivational Needs in Interventions? Comparing Adaptive and Multifaceted Approaches

• In Event: Diverse Methodological Approaches to Exploring Cognitive and Motivational Processes

Abstract

Although motivational interventions grounded in Eccles and colleagues’ situated expectancy-value theory (SEVT) have enhanced college students’ learning, most focus on only one motivational construct. This study explored the effectiveness of two approaches to promoting multiple SEVT motivational constructs: A multifaceted approach, where all students received two types of motivational support, and an adaptive approach, where students received zero, one, or two types of motivational support based on scores from a pre-test of their motivational needs. The multifaceted intervention promoted students’ task values and assessment scores relative to control; there were no other significant effects. Results suggest that multifaceted interventions may enhance college students’ motivation and performance even when other intervention approaches do not succeed.

Authors

• Emily Quinn Rosenzweig, University of Georgia

• XIAOYIN CHEN, University of Georgia - Athens

• Laine Bradshaw, Navvy @ Pearson