Model of Motivated Learning (Motivation)

The central proposition herein articulated is that motivation doth maintain an intimate linkage with the process of erudition. Motivation and erudition may exert reciprocal influence upon one another. The impetus animating students may exert influence upon the substance and methodology of their learning.

Conversely, as students, through their assiduous engagements, perceive an augmentation in their skill, they shall find themselves yet more vigorously motivated to prosecute their studies.

This intimate correlation between motivation and erudition is delineated in Table 'Model of Motivated Learning' (Schunk et al., 2008; Schunk, 1995). The model, conceived in a generic vein, doth not seek to mirror any singular theoretical purview. It is denominated a cognitive model, inasmuch as it posits that motivation doth largely arise from cognitive processes and firmly held beliefs. The model delineates three discrete phases: the pre-task phase, the during-task phase, and the post-task phase. This threefold partitioning doth proffer a convenient schema for conceptualising the evolving role of motivation throughout the course of erudition.

A panoply of variables exert an influence upon the incoming motivation of students with respect to learning. Students embark upon tasks bearing a diverse array of objectives, encompassing the assimilation of subject matter, the attainment of commendable performance, the expeditious completion of tasks, and kindred pursuits. It is pertinent to note that not all objectives are of an academic nature. As Wentzel (1992, 1996) hath elucidated, students harbour social objectives which may be integrated harmoniously with their academic counterparts. During a collective endeavour, Master Matt may evince a desire not only to acquire proficiency in the subject matter, but also to cultivate a convivial association with Mistress Amy.

Students commence their endeavours possessed of varying expectations. As expounded upon in Chapter 4, these expectations may encompass capabilities germane to learning (self-efficacy) and perceptions regarding the consequences resultant from learning (outcome expectations). Students entertain disparate perceptions concerning the value, or perceived import, of learning. Wigfield and Eccles (1992) have delineated distinct values, which shall be elucidated subsequently.

Students evince disparities in the affections associated with the act of learning. They may manifest sentiments of exhilaration, apprehension, or indeed, a complete absence of pronounced emotion. These affections may bear a close relationship to the needs of students, which certain theories posit as being of considerable import.

Finally, it is our expectation that the quantum of social support prevalent in the lives of students shall exhibit variability. Social support encompasses the forms of assistance procurable within the scholastic milieu from instructors and peers, in conjunction with aid and encouragement emanating from parents and other individuals of significance within the students' lives. Learning doth frequently necessitate the provision of time, pecuniary resources, exertion, conveyance, and sundry other forms of succour by others.

In the course of a task, instructional, contextual (embracing both social and environmental aspects), and personal variables exert their influence upon the acquisition of knowledge. Instructional variables encompass the pedagogue, modalities of feedback, pedagogical materials, and instrumental equipment. Albeit these variables are commonly regarded as affecting the learning process, their effect extends also to the realm of motivation. By way of illustration, the pedagogue's feedback may either serve to embolden or to dishearten; instruction may either elucidate or obfuscate; and pedagogical materials may furnish opportunities for manifold successes, or indeed, for but a meagre few.

Contextual variables incorporate both social and environmental resources. Factors such as geographical locale, temporal juncture, distractions, ambient temperature, current events, and the like, may either augment or impede motivation for the acquirement of knowledge. Numerous investigators have penned treatises concerning the manner in which highly competitive conditions may impinge upon motivation (Ames, 1992a; Meece, 1991, 2002). The student's social comparisons of their own capabilities with those of their peers bear a direct relation to motivation.

Personal variables incorporate those elements associated with the learning process itself, such as the construction of knowledge and the acquisition of skills, self-regulatory variables, and indices of motivation (e.g., predilection for specific activities, exertion of effort, tenacity of purpose). The student's perception of the efficacy of their own learning, and of the effects of instructional, contextual, and personal variables, exercises an influence upon their motivation for the continuation of said learning.

The post-task phase encompasses both the temporal demarcation following task completion and periods of introspective contemplation wherein students, during the task, pause to reflect upon their endeavours. Variables of import extant prior to task engagement retain their criticality during this self-reflective juncture, augmented by the consideration of attributions, or the perceived causative factors underpinning outcomes. All such variables, in a cyclical fashion, exert influence upon subsequent motivation and learning. Students harbouring the conviction that they are advancing towards their stipulated learning objectives, and who furnish positive attributions for successes encountered, are predisposed to sustain their self-efficacy concerning learning, outcome expectancies, perceived value, and overall favourable emotional milieu. Elements intertwined with instruction, such as pedagogic feedback, furnish informational data concerning goal attainment and anticipations regarding outcomes. Consequently, students who anticipate academic success and derive positive results from the learning process are inclined to maintain their motivation to pursue further learning, contingent upon their conviction that they are achieving satisfactory progress and possess the capacity to perpetuate such progress through the application of efficacious learning methodologies.