Supplement self-report questionnaires with process-oriented and online measures of motivation during learning¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · 5 claims (5 for) · 5 studies (3 theoretical, 1 review, 1 associational), q1–q3 · 0 of 5 report an effect size · 5 claims rest on one study

Description¶

The review recommends alternatives to self-report questionnaires, which suffer from subjectivity, Jingle-Jangle conceptualization problems, inability to capture fluctuating states, developmental factor-structure differences, and demand characteristics. "These alternatives include experience sampling, daily diaries, think-aloud protocols, observations, and structured interviews" (Eccles & Wigfield, 2020), plus online measures such as frequent learner choices, video observation, eye-tracking, facial emotional expressions, and autonomic nervous system physiology (EDA, ECG, ICG) for high-frequency, non-interfering measurement.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Measures must be able to sample motivation at high frequency during learning without interfering with task flow

Constraints¶

• Alternative subjective measures still demand participants' cognitive resources and some require frequent small breaks that may interfere with the task

Target Learners¶

• students across age groups, including children too young to process some motivation constructs in questionnaires

Target Learning Goals¶

• measurement of motivation and engagement during learning

Claims¶

• Jingle-jangle fallacies plague motivation constructs, requiring explicit justification of construct distinctions [+W]
• Jingle-jangle fallacies fragment SR research in education and impede cumulative progress [+W]
• Instruments show conceptual inconsistency: the same terms label different competence aspects, and disciplinary origin does not significantly correlate with definition or terminology choice [+W]
• Low questionnaire–think-aloud correlations may have two alternative explanations besides poor self-report ability: the methods may measure different strategies or be aimed at different tasks [+W]
• Questionnaire data may capture learners' perceptions rather than the strategies they actually performed [+W]

Related Strategies¶

• Use multimodal data and time-sensitive analyses to capture situational motivational processes
• Use longitudinal designs combining experimental manipulation with alternating measurement of motivation and achievement to establish causal reciprocity
• Resolve jingle-jangle fallacies by merging jangle terms and differentiating jingle terms before integrating propositions

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• Vu, T., Magis-Weinberg, L., Jansen, B. R. J., van Atteveldt, N., Jansen, T. W. P. J., Lee, N. C., van der Maas, H. L. J., Raijmakers, M. E. J., Sachisthal, M. S. M., & Meeter, M. (2021). Motivation-Achievement Cycles in Learning: a Literature Review and Research Agenda. Educational Psychology Review. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-021-09616-7