Motivational profiles and their correlates among students in virtual school foreign language courses

• Autores: Yining Zhang, Chin-Hsi Lin
• Localización: British journal of educational technology, ISSN 0007-1013, Vol. 51, Nº. 2, 2020, págs. 515-530
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • Motivation is a key factor in predicting K-12 students' online learning success. Drawing on self-determination theory, this study used a person-centered approach to identify the motivational profiles of students taking online high school language courses, and to examine such profiles' relationships to their learning outcomes, genders and reasons for enrollment. Cluster analysis of 466 students revealed the existence of four profiles: high and low quantity, and good and poor quality. Students in the high-quantity profile demonstrated comparable learning outcomes to those in the good quality profile; and there was significant gender and enrollment reason differences across the four motivational profiles. Practitioner Notes What is already known about this topic Motivation is of considerable importance to the success of online learning. Autonomous motivation is more adaptive than controlled motivation. Most studies have used a variable-centered approach to investigating the unique and independent roles of motivation types in online learning. What this paper adds This study is believed to be the first to use a person-centered approach to identify motivational profiles (ie, good quality, high quantity, low quantity and poor quality) among virtual-school students taking foreign-language courses. It confirms the positive effect of autonomous motivation on learning, and extends exploration of this effect to online learning. Students in the high-quantity profile achieved comparable learning outcomes to those in the good quality profile. Females were overrepresented in the good quality profile (ie, more females than would be expected by chance). Motivational profiles differed significantly across enrollment reasons (ie, credit recovery, elective or requirement). Implications for practice and/or policy Teachers should not simply place each student in a box as having either autonomous or controlled motivation. Online learning content and activities should be designed in ways that promote autonomous motivation. Online educators need to be aware of potential gender and enrollment reason effects on students' motivations.