STUDENTS’ PERSPECTIVESON THE

CONCEPTUAL & PSYCHOSOCIAL FACTORS

IMPACTING THEIR LEARNING MOTIVATION

Presented by : Gaunette Sinclair-Maragh

Lecturer

University of Technology, Jamaica

PURPOSE OF THE

CASE STUDY • To highlight the perspectives of tertiary level students

regarding the conceptual and psychosocial factors impacting their learning motivation

• To garner strategies geared towards establishing a Teaching-Learning Model for tertiary training/education in Hospitality and Tourism Management (HTM), which will enhance student learning motivation and prepare graduates for the labour market

BACKGROUND OF CASE STUDY

Research was conducted at Institution X to determine whether or not the students’ learning motivation (SLM) was affected by any conceptual and psychosocial factors.

This is the initial phase of a much widerstudy which will be comparing the factors mentioned above in two or more tertiary institutions offering training in HTM.

BACKGROUND TO RESEARCH PROBLEM

Challenges relating to : • the need to determine existing gaps in the

learning motivation of tertiary students studying HTM

• variation in students’ learning needs, motivational issues, interest levels and socio-cultural backgrounds

BACKGROUND TO RESEARCH PROBLEM (Cont’d)

Challenges relating to :

• the effectiveness of the teaching-learning process in tertiary institutions offering training in HTM

National and Regional Universities Offshore Universities Teachers’ Colleges Community Colleges

BACKGROUND TO RESEARCH PROBLEM (Cont’d)

Challenges relating to : • the effectiveness of the teaching methodologies

used by faculty for all students irrespective of their cognitive abilities and learning styles

• work readiness of the students

• industry expectations

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

• What are the different levels of academic interest and motivation among students at Institution X

• What is the role of faculty in motivating students to learn?

• What types of learning strategies and styles are being used by the students?

• What are the major conceptual challenges confronting the students?

• What are the major psychosocial challenges faced by the students?

DEFINITION OF TERMS

• Conceptual Factors : Elements pertaining to mental concepts and the development of mental processes e.g. metacognition, mental abilities and types of intelligences

• Psychosocial factors : Psychological and social forces

Psychological forces e.g. personality, emotion, attitude and behaviour

Social forces e.g. value system, cultural practices and the

physical environment

• Learning Motivation : The desire to participate in and benefit from academic activities that are meaningful and worthwhile.

LITERATURE REVIEWED

• The Concept of Motivation (Tuckman,1999)• The Role of the Teacher in Students’ Learning

Motivation (McNeil & Wiles, 1999) • Conceptual Factors affecting Students’ Learning

Motivation (Woolfolk, 2001)• Students’ Learning Strategies and Styles

(Hartley, 1998)• Psychosocial Factors impacting Students’

Learning Motivation (Bandura, 1997)

METHODOLOGY

• Descriptive design using the survey method

• Instrument : Structured Questionnaire

• Random sampling of 15% of the student population

• Period : October 2004 to January 2005

• Response Rate : 94%

RESEARCH FINDINGSAND ANALYSIS

DEMOGRAPHICS

AGE • Majority of respondents (54%) : 18 - 21 age range

• Minority of respondents ( 8%) : 26 - 30 age range

GENDER • Female 82%

• Male 18%

RESEARCH OBJECTIVE 1

What are the different levels of academic interests and motivation among students at Institution X?

STUDENTS’ CAREER GOALS

Ultimate Career Goal

44%

7%

12%

3%

18%

8% 8%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

45%

50%

Entrepreneurs Policy Makers ExecutiveChefs

EventCoordinators

ExecutiveManagers

Uncertain No Response

Series1

REASONS FOR SELECTING AREAS OF SPECIALIZATION

Reason for choosing area of Specialization

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

Career Goal Diverse Course Option J ob Opportunities Formal Certification Second Choice Only Programme No Response Uncertain

Reasons

STUDENTS’ LEVELS OF INTEREST IN PROGRAMMES

Interest In Selected Programme

22%

55%

16%

7%

Pass exams

Career Development

Foundation for other career

Other

STUDENTS’ LEVELS OF MOTIVATION

Level of Motivation

39%

48%

5%

5%3% 0%

High

Average

Low

Undecided

No Response

STUDENTS’ INTEREST & MOTIVATION LEVELS

• INTEREST IN TERTIARY EDUCATION 90% : Intrinsically motivated 7% : Parental Influence

3% : No Response

• LEARNING MOTIVATION GOALS 79% : Learning Goal 13% : Performance Goal 3% : Work Avoidance 5% : No Response

STUDENTS’ INTEREST & MOTIVATION LEVELS (Cont’d)

• Relatively high interest levels • High learning goals • Majority of students were motivated to focus on

achieving their career objectives • Selected areas of specialization assisted in

students’ learning motivation

Intrinsic motivation is that which motivates a student to learn without being compelled to do so (Raffini, 1996).

RESEARCH OBJECTIVE 2

What is the role of faculty in motivating students to learn?

ROLE OF FACULTY IN MOTIVATING STUDENTS

• 49% : Faculty members have no role

• 39% : Faculty members have a role to play

• 5% : Faculty members should guide and facilitate the learning process

MOST EFFECTIVE TEACHING METHODS

• TEACHING STYLES

The various ways in which teachers teach ( McNeil & Wiles, 1990).

92% : Democratic 8% : Authoritative 0% : Laissez Faire

• TEACHING STRATEGIES

Patterns of instruction that are used by teachers to match their teaching style with students’ learning needs ( McNeil & Wiles, 1990).

69% : Teacher Centred / Direct Pattern23% : Student Centred / Indirect Pattern

0% : Teacher as Facilitator / Self Direct Pattern

STUDENTS’ PERCEPTION OF THE BEST TEACHING STYLE

BestTeaching Style

8%

92%

0%

Authoritarian

Democratic

Laissez Faire

TEACHING QUALITY

RATINGS %

Excellent 8

Good 56

Fair 29

Poor 2

ROLE OF FACULTY(Cont’d)

• Majority of students believed that faculty members are not responsible for their learning

• However they : indicated the need for teacher-student interaction prefer the teacher-centred approach

Teachers should act as facilitators allowing students to accomplish their learning independently (McNeil & Wiles, 1999).

• Majority of students stated that the quality of teaching was good. Teacher skills in motivating learners should be seen as central to teaching effectiveness (Good and Brophy, 1994).

RESEARCH OBJECTIVE 3

What types of learning strategies and styles are being used by the

students?

STUDENTS’ LEARNING STRATEGIES AND STYLES

LEARNING STRATEGIES • Methods used by students to help

them to process information /learn (www.readingonline.org/articles)

Student-centred Learning

Interactive Approach

Self-directed Approach

LEARNING STYLES• How students approach the

different learning tasks based on their cognitive ability

(www.readingonline.org/articles)

Field Dependent and Independent Approach

Deep and Surface Learning

Convergent & Divergent Thinking

STUDENTS’ LEARNING STYLES

Do these students change the structure and meaning of words to ascertain their own understanding?

• Field Independent Students : 77% Reasons For better understanding (57%)

Easier to remember ( 8 %) To deduce correct meaning ( 4 %) Doing so depends on the subject ( 2 %) No Reason ( 6 %)

These students reorganize learning material to suit their own needs and conception (Hartley,1998)

• Field Dependent Students : 10%

These students are tied to the structure and language of a text book (Hartley, 1998)

STUDENTS’ LEARNING STYLES (Cont’d)

Do these students analyze or memorize what they read?

Deep Learners : 60%These students try to understand thoroughly the meaning of what they read (Hartley,1998).

• Surface Learners : 18% These students concentrate their efforts on memorising

and not on analysing what they have read (Hartley, 1998).

STUDENTS’ LEARNING STYLES (Cont’d)

• Some students considered themselves to be both deep and surface learners : 12%

An individual student may be both a deep and surface learner, this however depends on the nature of the task (Hartley, 1998).

PREFERRED MODES OF ASSESSMENT

Types of Assessment

29%

8%

36%

25%

2%

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40%

Multiple Choice

True/False

Short Answers

Essays

No Response

STUDENTS’ LEARNING STYLES (Cont’d)MOST PREFERRED MODE OF

ASSESSMENT

• Short Answers (36%):Convergent Thinker• Multiple Choice(29%):ConvergentThinker• Essay (25%) :Divergent

Thinker• True/False ( 8%) :Divergent Thinker

STUDENTS’ LEARNING STYLES (Cont’d)

CONVERGENT

THINKERS

These students perform

well at tests that require

a single answer to the

Problem (Hartley,1998).

DIVERGENT

THINKERS

These students have the capacity to generate responses, invent new ones, explore and expand ideas (Hartley, 1998).

RESEARCH OBJECTIVE 4

What are the major conceptual challenges confronting the

students?

METACOGNITION

The capabilities of thinking critically, reasoning, comprehending, solving problems and learning (Woolfolk, 2001).

• 92% : Used critical thinking to solve problems and make sound decisions

• 90% : Reasoned rationally and objectively

• 80% : Understood the material taught

• 75% : Planned and coordinated learning activities with available resources

STAGES OF COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT

• :• :

STAGES AGE

(Years)

DESCRIPTION

(Piaget, 1996)Sensorimotor 0 - 2 Sensory experiences

Pre-Operational 2 - 7 Use of symbols & pictures

Concrete Operational 7 - 11 Use of diagrams and charts

Formal Operational Adolescents

& Adults

Logical and critical thinking, reasoning

& problem solving

STAGES OF COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT (Cont’d)

Stages of Cognitive Development

18%

6%

32%

10%

24%

10%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

Sensorimotor Pre-Operational Concrete Operational Formal Operational Multiple Responses No Response

Series1

CONCEPTUAL CHALLENGES

• Although the majority of students have metacognitive abilities they were at the concrete operational level

This situation frequently occurs among adult learners due to a combination of maturation problems and inappropriate learning environment (Piaget, 1996).

CONCEPTUAL CHALLENGES(Cont’d)

Types of Intelligences

39%

9%

2%

5%

39%

3%

3%

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45%

1

No Response

Intrapersonal

Interpersonal

Musical

Bodily Kinesthetic

Logical -Mathematical

Linguistic/Verbal

CONCEPTUAL CHALLENGES(Cont’d)

• Majority of the students have linguistic/verbal and also interpersonal intelligences

Persons are endowed with their individual intelligence type which impacts on how and what they learn (Kulieke et al 1990).

Howard Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences also explains the reasons why people can perform certain tasks very well but perform less well or poorly on others (Gardner, 2008).

RESEARCH OBJECTIVE 5

What are the major psychosocial challenges faced by the students?

PSYCHOSOCIAL CHALLENGES

• SELF- EFFICACY The belief in one’s capabilities to organize and execute

the courses of action needed to achieve goals (Bandura, 1997).

39% : Have willpower to learn 16% : Are self-directed learner 16% : Are capable of learning 25% : Use various learning strategies 4% : No response

PSYCHOSOCIAL CHALLENGES(Cont’d)

Emotional Experiences

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

Series1

Series1 26% 27% 12% 30% 5%

Anxiety Depression Combination No Response No Experience

PSYCHOSOCIAL CHALLENGES (Cont’d)

• HOME ENVIRONMENT60% : Positive Impact30% : Negative Impact

• SURROUNDING COMMUNITY60% : No Impact25 % : Impact

• CONFLICTING ROLES54% : No challenges46 % : Were challenged

• SOCIAL CONNECTION 52% : No Connection 36% : Felt Connected

• TRANSITION CHALLENGES48% : No challenges37% : Were challenged

• CLUB MEMBERSHIP54% : Non-member37% : Were members

PSYCHOSOCIAL CHALLENGES (Cont’d)

PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORSMajority students have : • High levels of Self-Efficacy Self-determined learners display

high self-efficacy (Bandura, 1997) Self-efficacy is needed for self directed learning (Bandura, 1997)• Interest in Academic welfare

• Learning Motivation Goals

• Little Emotional Constraints

SOCIAL FACTORS• Majority of homes are

conducive to learning

• The community has no significant impact on SLM

• Having little or no connection to the university’s environment

had no impact on SLM

SUMMARY

• Students were intrinsically motivated to achieve their career goals

• The students’ high levels of motivation stimulated their interest in selecting their respective programmes

• Some students (minority) expressed the importance of faculty’s role in their learning motivation

• Although the majority of students were motivated by the democratic teaching style, they preferred the teacher-centred approach

SUMMARY (Cont’d)

• Although the students had metacognitive abilities and were deep and field independent learners, they were operating at the concrete operational cognitive stage which points to their ability to do basic tasks and the need for close supervision

Operating at this level will pose a challenge as it suggests surface learning.

Students who are critical thinkers, problem solvers and good decision makers are at the formal operational stage ( Piaget 1996).

SUMMARY (Cont’d)

• Students had both verbal and interpersonal intelligences and these are critical in the Hospitality and Tourism Industry

• Students’ high levels of self-efficacy, interest and learning goal attributed to their learning motivation

• Students’ learning motivation was not gravely affected by the social forces identified ( home, community, tertiary level transition, other roles)

• Majority students however did not feel connected to the university and this did not impact significantly on their learning

IMPLICATIONS

Most Obvious Implication : Students’ Stage of Cognitive Development

• High motivational levels + high interest levels + appropriate teaching strategies & styles + deep and field independent learners + convergent thinkers + concrete operational levels = cognitive & competency challenges

• Undergraduate students are expected to be employed at the conceptual level in businesses. Therefore the ideal is : High motivational levels + high interest levels + appropriate teaching strategies & styles + deep & field independent learners + divergent thinkers + formal operational levels

IMPLICATIONS (Cont’d)

• Graduates may be at risk in the workplace by not having as competitive an advantage in terms of upward mobility compared to students from other tertiary institutions.

• Tertiary Institutions may be failing somehow in terms of :

Preparing competent individuals for the labour market Moulding young and experienced adults for new roles in

the industry Creating equality of learning opportunities Preparing a new generation of citizens in this globalize

environment

CONCLUSION

• Students are intrinsically motivated and this is a catalyst for the achievement of high academic standards

• Faculty members are expected to facilitate learning by providing the needed guidance

• Students’ Learning Motivation is also not challenged by their level of intelligence as the majority of students had linguistic and interpersonal intelligences

CONCLUSION (Cont’d)

• Their Learning Motivation is impacted by their convergent thinking pattern and level of cognitive development

• The Learning Motivation of students is not impacted significantly by the psychosocial factors investigated

RECOMMENDATIONS

• APPROACH : A Wholistic Approach to manage the students’ learning motivation and create synergy among the various stakeholders in the education process

• SYSTEM : A Teaching-Learning Model that will will stipulate standards from the applicant selection process to the time of graduation and job placement

• PLAN : A Cognitive Development Management Plan that will be an integral part of the Strategic Management Plan of Tertiary Institutions

RECOMMENDATIONS (Cont’d)

+ High Motivational Levels + High Interest Levels + Appropriate Teaching Strategies & Styles + Deep and Independent Learning + Divergent Thinking + Formal Operational Level = Cognitive Development & High Competency Level

LIMITATIONS

• To date the case study has only been conducted at Institution X

• The case study did not focus on gender or age

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