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Catherine F. Klein (USA)Paula Galowitz (USA)Freda Grealy (Ireland)

Ernest Ojukwu (Nigeria)Leah Wortham (USA)

December 13, 2013

Using Self-Determination Theory for Enhanced Effectiveness of Justice Education Programs

Applying Research on Motivation & Happiness to Course Design & Teaching

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U.S. Carnegie Commission’sLegal Education Goal “formation of competent and committed

professionals”

Integration of three dimensions

Not only teaching legal doctrine & analysis

But also introduction to aspects of practice leading to acting responsibly for clients

Formation of professional identity with values consistent with the fundamental purposes of the legal profession

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Our formulation “capable, ethical, psychologically healthy

legal professionals”

Graduates with Foundational grounding in substantive law &

practice skills Combined with skills & motivation for self-

direction to learn new law and enhance skills throughout one’s career

Along with professional responsibility & personal integrity in serving clients (or doing other legal work)

Mindfulness for social implications of graduates’ work

Ability to find satisfaction in their careers

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Presentation’s Theoretical Base Drive by Daniel Pink (drawing

on Sheldon & Krieger psychological material + economists & mgt theorists) Autonomy Mastery Purpose (linked to autonomy & relatedness)

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Pink Draws On Self-determination theory (Edward

Deci, applied in Sheldon & Krieger’s work) Competence (mastery) Autonomy Relatedness

Motivation & emotion research (Johnmarshall Reeve textbook) Extrinsic v. intrinsic motivation Autonomy-supportive teaching

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Levels of human motivation Biological: hunger, thirst, sex

Carrots & sticks: external rewards & punishments

Intrinsic motivation

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Daniel Pink Citations to book & video URL

in bibliography uploaded to website

6-minute excerpt of 20-minute video

His “21st Century Operating System”

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Daniel H. Pink. Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us (2009)

http://www.ted.com/talks/dan_pink_on_motivation.html

Citation in bibliography

Daniel Pink

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Some Implications for Law Schools Education needed for complex tasks

Larry Krieger (& works with Kennon Sheldon) on 1st year shift to extrinsic motivation & decline in mental health

Resonance with law students

LW observations of anxiety impeding performance (reference to Michael Hunter Schwartz)

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Focus today broader than law schools alone Post-graduate professional training

programs

Continuing legal education for lawyers

People’s lives as lawyers

Small group opportunity to focus on aspect that resonates for each of you

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Autonomy-Mastery-Purpose

Autonomy: desire to direct our own lives

Mastery: urge to get better and better at something that matters

Purpose: yearning to do what we do in the service of something larger than ourselves, acting in accordance with our “true selves”

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Autonomy Behaving with full sense of volition

& choice

Contrast to controlled motivation responding to pressure for specific outcomes coming from sources external to oneself

Not independence but acting with choice

Can be autonomous and “happily interdependent”

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Autonomy & intrinsic motivation research (Johnmarshall Reeve synthesis, applied in Pink)

Autonomous (intrinsic) motivation promotes Correlates positively with persistence Enhances creativity

Creativity undermined by “being watched, evaluated, bossed, or rewarded”

Enhanced conceptual understanding & promotes flexible thinking

Greater levels of psychological well being; less anxiety, depression & burnout

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Three archetypal features of autonomy support Choice provision Meaningful rationale provision:

where no choice can be provided, authority explains why

Perspective taking: authority shows that he or she is aware of and cares about the point of view of the subordinate

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Sheldon & Krieger (2007) items measuring autonomy support in two law schools What has your been your

impression of instructors in your program? Most of my instructors provide

me choices and options

I feel able to share my feelings with my instructors

My instructors generally listen to how I would like to do things.

Sheldon & Krieger (2007) Greater Self-Determined

Career Motivation

Better Subjective Well-Being

Higher Graded

Achievement

Enhanced Autonomy Satisfaction

Enhanced Relatedness Satisfaction

Enhanced Competence Satisfaction

Perceived Autonomy

Support

Law School 2Versus

Law School 1

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Mastery - The Virtuoso Way Mastery is the desire to get

better and better at something that matters. Mastery is a mindset.”*

Engagement is committed effort in undertaking a particular task. *Daniel H. Pink, DRIVE, 2009

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Mastery - The Virtuoso Way Beryl Blaustone’s work on

application of neuroscience and learning theory to clinical supervision

See bibliography uploaded to the GAJE website

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Mastery Mastery as a Mindset: desire to get

better & better at something that matters

Achieving Mastery Involves Pain: learning to lawyer involves intense, persistent effort, pushing boundaries of discomfort, periods of “not getting it”

Mastery as an Asymptote that Will Never Be Fully Reached

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Mastery - The Virtuoso Way Clear goals and methods promote

engagement

Teacher should model transparency in practice and not only words

Engagement promotes mastery. Continual engagement promotes FLOW.

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Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi: states of being at differing degrees of challenge and skill and “FLOW” (focused, concentrated, autonomous, deep engagement)

high

CHAL

LEN

GES

low highSKILLS

AnxietyArousal

Worry

ApathyBoredom Relaxation

Control

FLOW

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Mastery - The Virtuoso Way Blaustone’s four supervision principles

in IJCLE article (pdf on website)

Affirming law students’ capability to become good lawyers

Teacher’s communicated clear commitment to student & teacher’s joint responsibility for learning & expectations about tasks

Deliberate attention to reducing “fill-in”

Taking time to verify understanding from supervision

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Purpose S&K’s use of self-determination theory

lists autonomy, competence, & relatedness as three things necessary to thrive and maximize positive motivation

This use of autonomy includes doing what people enjoy “or at least believe in”: purpose is encompassed, One’s “authentic” self

Victor Frankl: Man’s Search for Meaning

LW externship lawyer guests always talked about their job’s “meaning” even though I did not say to do so

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For enhanced motivation & productivity on complex tasks Opportunities for

Autonomy Mastery Purpose

Tapping intrinsic rather than extrinsic motivators

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First small group discussion

Check understanding of the theory

How do the concepts of autonomy support and mastery resonate with your experience in clinical education and legal education more generally?

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Second group task Divide into groups of about 5

people

Meet with people you do not already know & mix nationalities

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Second group task What aspect of the theory

about enhancing perceived autonomy, mastery & purpose among future lawyers & practicing lawyers resonates for your justice education work?

What does it make you think of trying?

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Quick Write What are your most significant“take-aways” from the session?

What actions did the session prompt you to consider?