A suggested workflow to enhance students' motivation to learn based on theory and analysis of student survey data

Abstract

Motivation has various definitions often related to goal-driven behaviour. Many studies have established a positive correlation between achievement and learning outcomes. This study studied student motivation through a combined lens of contemporary theories: expectancy-value, attribution, social-cognitive, goal-orientation, and self-determination. In addition, we conducted a survey using a questionnaire with content based on established theory to assess several aspects of university students’ drive, the importance of adding value to learning and possible negative experiences relating to the subject. The findings of this report enabled the creation of a workflow that promotes student motivation to learn. We found that most students are motivated by intrinsic factors and that articulation of course value can improve student engagement. Our results confirm that competence, control, and relatedness are all strong predictors of motivation. Lack of relatedness is a critical reason for the lack of drive amongst university students. We propose a workflow including four main steps to promote student motivation.