Self-regulated learning theory explains how it is not only the amount of time musicians spend practising that affects achievement, but also the nature of the strategies employed. Because practice is self-directed, motivational effects on its efficiency are especially salient. One construct that has received little attention in relation to practising is self-determination theory, which interprets motivation as lying along a continuum of perceived autonomy. This mixed-methods study investigated links between motivational beliefs and self-regulated practising behaviour through a two-phase design. In Phase One, 677 music examination candidates aged 8-19 completed a questionnaire consisting of items addressing practising behaviour and perceived musical competence; in addition, the Self-Regulation Questionnaire (SRQ; Ryan & Connell, 1989) was adapted to explore intrinsic-extrinsic motives for learning an instrument. Factor analysis of the SRQ revealed five dimensions with partial correspondence to earlier research: internal, external, social, shame-related, and exam-related motives. Three practice behaviour factors consistent with self-regulated learning theory emerged: effort management, monitoring, and strategy use. Results of structural equation modelling showed that internal motivation accounted best for variance in these three types of practising behaviour, with a small added effect from competence beliefs and exam-related motivation. Phase Two consisted of observational case studies of four of the questionnaire participants preparing for their subsequent annual examination. Adolescent, intermediate-level musicians were recorded while practising at home; immediately afterwards, they watched the videotape and verbalised any recollected thoughts. The procedure concluded with a semi-structured interview and debriefing. The videotapes were analysed with The Observer Video-Pro and combined with verbal data; emerging themes were then compared with issues arising from the interviews. The observational aspect of the case studies largely confirmed the importance of three cyclical self-regulatory processes emerging from Phase One: (a) effort management and motivational self-regulation, (b) the role of self-monitoring of accuracy, and (c) the use of corrective strategies, such as structured repetition, task simplification, and vocalisation. The mixture of quantitative and qualitative methods used in the study has uncovered a rich body of information that begins to clarify the complex motivational and behavioural nature of young people practising a musical instrument.

Thesis (M.A.)--Miami University, Dept. of Psychology, 2007. / Title from first page of PDF document. Includes bibliographical references (p. 17-18).

Syfte och frågeställningar Syftet med studien var att undersöka hur en tränare i ett ungdomsakademilag bedrev fotbollsträning och interagerade med spelarna utifrån ett motivations- och inlärningsperspektiv. Detta ledde fram till följande frågeställningar: Utifrån Self-Determination Theory, var tränaren i sitt interagerande med spelarna övervägande autonomistödjande eller kontrollerande? Utifrån Achievement Goal Theory, var tränaren i sitt interagerande med spelarna övervägande uppgiftsorienterad eller ego-orienterad? Hur stor del av fotbollsträningen var isolerad kontra funktionell? Metod I studien deltog en tränare för ett akademilag i fotboll. Tränaren var 30 år gammal och hade en avslutad kandidatexamen i idrott samt var innehavare av UEFA Advanced Level Diploma. Tränaren videofilmades och observerades i efterhand utifrån ACT (Assessment of Coaching Tone). Omfånget var 5 träningspass och tiden i isolerade kontra funktionella övningar klockades. Resultat Tränarens interageranden var 11% Autonomy supportive, 37% Neutral och 52% Controlling. Evaluation related feedback var 22% Mastery-oriented, 32% Neutral och 46% Ego-oriented. Övningsformerna var till 95% funktionellt uppbyggda och till 5% isolerade. Slutsats Utifrån Assessment of Coaching Tone verkar tränaren i sina interageranden med spelarna vara övervägande kontrollerande samt skapa ett resultatorienterat motivationsklimat. Utifrån Self-Determination Theory och Achievement Goal Theory försvårar sannolikt dessa interageranden spelarnas möjlighet att utveckla självbestämmande motivation. Övningsformerna är i hög grad funktionella vilket sannolikt ökar chansen för att spelarna kan utveckla en perceptuell-kognitiv förmåga som krävs för att nå elitnivå.

Self-determination theory (SDT) has been used to study motivation and motivational strategies within many different domains one of the most pertinent being academia. The theory emphasizes the importance of autonomy, competence, and relatedness needs and places a strong emphasis on environmental factors as both fostering and impeding of motivational energies, while simultaneously giving less importance to intrapersonal determinants of motivation such as personality and attachment. This gap in the literature was addressed in this study by investigating that aspect of academic motivation which has not been of a salient interest to SDT. To test the hypotheses that Neuroticism, Extraversion, Conscientiousness, and attachment styles are associated with Intrinsic Motivation, with attachment being a stronger predictor, 272 participants at a midsize university completed a survey including scales assessing personality traits, attachment style, and academic motivation. Data were analyzed using correlation, regression, and moderation analyses and as hypothesized, all three personality traits were significantly associated with Anxiety and Avoidance attachment dimensions, which in turn were related to Intrinsic Motivation, though only partially. Attachment Avoidance emerged as the most important dimension of attachment accounting for a significant amount of variance in Intrinsic Motivation beyond personality and illustrating the relatedness component of self-determination theory. Implications of these results include both theoretical (example, conceptualizing relatedness in terms of attachment Avoidance), and practical (example, suggestions for instructors on methods for increasing student Intrinsic Motivation) aspects.

Self-determination theory posits, through an organismic perspective of human development, that all humans are inherently curious to assimilate new information and all naturally behave for their psychological growth. Central to this natural tendency is the determinant role of the social environment in maintaining or hindering this inherent function of the self. Humans thus develop, through their life, motivational patterns that can be characterized as being either internalized or not. For SDT, this natural process of integrating one’s motives, values, and belief in the self can be observed through the internalization continuum of self-determination. The self-determination continuum describes the behavioral regulation of individuals and can be broke down in two large dimensions: autonomous vs controlled motivation. When applied to the educational context, the theory would say that students who invest themselves in their academic activities for more internalized and autonomous reasons will be more likely to experience positive educational outcomes (e.g., achievement, perseverance, deeper learning, well-being, and lower dropout intentions). However, recent meta-analyses revealed a small positive association between explicit self-evaluation of autonomous motivation (AM) and academic achievement (r ≈ .177; Cerasoli, Nicklin, & Ford, 2014; Richardson, Abraham, & Bond, 2012; Taylor et al., 2014). In those studies, the internalization dimensions have been mainly measured through self-report methodology, and even if those measures are valid and reliable they should only be interpreted as the accessible declared self-knowledge one individual has about his own motivational dispositions. As such, this thesis embarks on the premise that those explicit self-evaluations mainly tap into the reflective/conscious side on the human brain and that taking a dual-process perspective over the integration process could alleviate our understanding of human motivation. This thesis also acknowledges, as in most dual-process theories, the determinant role of working memory capacity (WMC) in the interplay between the explicit/reflective/controlled and implicit/impulsive/automatic processes. The ability to control and direct attention, as measured by WMC, is an important individual differences that can explain why some dual-process effect might be working for some individuals but not for the other (Barrett, Tugade, & Engle, 2004). In this dissertation, my hypotheses were anchored in SDT and inspired by the implicit social cognition approach. Accordingly, I aimed at exploring the internalization process of university students in the educational context. To that end, I proposed three original studies described in three different articles. In Article 1, I first developed a lexical decision task of implicit AM based on the preliminary work of Burton, Lydon, D'Alessandro, and Koestner (2006). I hypothesized that explicit and implicit AM should interact in a synergistic manner in the prediction of subsequent academic achievement. Moreover, this synergistic effect should depend on the WMC of the students, as the integrative process is likely to be cognitively challenging. A sample of 272 university students were recruited and participated in a lab study (INSPIRE lab). Results of moderated regression analysis revealed that explicit AM was a significant predictor of semester GPA, but only for students with high level of implicit AM, and average to high levels of WMC. This prediction was double the size of past meta-analyses estimate (β = .445), thus demonstrating that incorporating a dual-process perspective of AM enable a more precise account of internalization. In Article 2, I extended the lexical decision task with additional stimuli, replicated the effect of Article 1 with Bayesian estimation and tested a reciprocal hypothesis between academic AM and achievement. I hypothesized that the past academic achievements of students are likely to influence the development of AM for university studies. Again in the INSPIRE lab, 258 undergraduate students participated in this study. Results of a mediational model revealed a significant reciprocal effect of past academic achievement, explicit AM and subsequent academic achievement at university. Moreover, results from study 1 were included as informative prior in the Bayesian analysis of study 2. A moderated-moderation mediation model was tested and revealed a significant synergistic effect between explicit and implicit AM, thus replicating the effect found in study 1. This effect was also moderated by WMC, once again replicating the results of study 1, by demonstrating that sufficient WMC is needed for the synergistic effect of AM to be operant. Lastly, in Article 3 I developed an in-lab learning situation to evaluate if dispositions of AM could be activated outside of the students’ awareness and enable explicitly declared AM to be predictive of subsequent learning performance (math and verbal components). The beneficial effect of explicit AM on subsequent learning performance was only observed for the students who were subliminally primed with AM words. This experimental study thus stressed on the importance of the environment in shaping individuals’ behavior, even when that environment is unconsciously perceived. The findings of this experimental study were thus repositioned in a person x environment interpretation, as opposed to study 1 and 2 which were framed in a person x person interpretation. Of particular interest, contrary to studies 1 and 2, only students with low to average levels of WMC seemed to benefit from the situational priming of AM words. Students with lower levels of WMC can thus benefit from implicit situational cues of AM, as the results demonstrate that it can activate the synergistic effect of AM and ultimately help them perform better on the exam. Overall, this thesis has provided empirical evidence for adopting a dual-process perspective of AM combining motivation and cognitive research in the prediction of academic achievement.

Researchers of student motivation have often explained students’ desire to engage in various activities in terms of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation (Babad, 1993; Legutki, 2010; McPherson, 2000; O’Neill, 1999). However, there is a perpetuating absence of a unifying and theory-based understanding of motivation in music education that illustrates the need for the current study. Using self-determination theory (Deci and Ryan, 2000) as the theoretical framework, I examined (a) the association between fulfillment of psychological needs (i.e., autonomy, competence, and relatedness) experienced by high school orchestra students and their perceived level of autonomy-supportive learning, and (b) the connection between different qualities of self-determined motivation (i.e., external, introjected, identified, and intrinsic regulation) and students’ intentions to engage in music learning in the future. This cross-sectional quantitative study incorporated an author-designed instrument, which was an adaptation of Basic Psychological Needs Scale (Deci & Ryan, 2000) and Self-Regulation Questionnaire-Learning version (Black & Deci, 2000). I surveyed 706 high school orchestra students in the Midwest, and the response rate was 99.7%. The findings indicate that autonomy (β = .37), competence (β = .17), and relatedness (β = .14) positively predicted music students’ overall outlook on their autonomy-supportive learning. Identified regulation and intrinsic regulation positively predicted music students’ short- (β = .23, β = .34), medium- (β = .15, β = .29), and long-term intentions (β = .25, β = .25) of music engagement, indicating that there is a connection between autonomous regulation in music students and their future engagement intentions. External regulation (β = -.10) negatively predicted short-term intention only, indicating that there is a connection between extrinsic motivation and low intentions to continue must learning. This study provides evidence to support self-determination theory as a viable approach for understanding student motivation in the field of music education. Future research recommendations and implications for teaching are also provided.

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Boston University / PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis or dissertation. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / The purpose of this study was to examine the motives for participation in and withdrawal from sport of Special Olympics (SO) athletes using the frameworks of motivation in sport for athletes without disabilities. Two theoretical frameworks were applied--achievement motivation and self-determination theory (SDT). In addition, previous studies on the application of SDT to understanding motivation in people with intellectual disabilities (ID) were examined. This study included a nationally representative sample of 1,307 families, 579 SO athletes, and 300 SO coaches from 17 randomly selected states in the United States. Athletes and families were interviewed by telephone by trained interviewers from The Gallup Organization. Coaches were also interviewed by telephone, by the author and trained graduate students. Interviews followed scripted protocols that included questions about demographics, SO participation, and motivation for sport participation and withdrawal. The findings of this study suggest that there is similarity in motivation for sport participation between athletes with and without ID, as compared to the literature. The findings suggest, contrary to the literature on motivation for people with ID, that athletes with ID can be intrinsically motivated. However, there was a dichotomy of reasons for sport withdrawal. SO athletes generally left sport due to one of two reasons, personal interest in sport or other activities or some factor outside of the athlete's control, namely access to a local SO program. It is critical to note the relevance of the latter reason for sport withdrawal as it underscores a striking difference between athletes without disabilities and athletes with ID. In all, the theoretical frameworks of motivation have demonstrated relevance on the motivation for sport participation and withdrawal for athletes with ID. However, withdrawal due to external factors suggests a limitation in the application of the theoretical frameworks to adequately describe sport withdrawal for athletes with ID. Overall the results of this study emphasize that sport can also be a powerful experience for people with ID and promote an empowering message--that athletes are athletes, regardless of disability. / 2031-01-02

abstract: Two models of motivation are prevalent in the literature on sport and exercise participation (Deci & Ryan, 1991; Vallerand, 1997, 2000). Both models are grounded in self-determination theory (Deci & Ryan, 1985; Ryan & Deci, 2000) and consider the relationship between intrinsic, extrinsic, and amotivation in explaining behavior choice and outcomes. Both models articulate the relationship between need satisfaction (i.e., autonomy, competence, relatedness; Deci & Ryan, 1985, 2000; Ryan & Deci, 2000) and various cognitive, affective, and behavioral outcomes as a function of self-determined motivation. Despite these comprehensive models, inconsistencies remain between the theories and their practical applications. The purpose of my study was to examine alternative theoretical models of intrinsic, extrinsic, and amotivation using the Sport Motivation Scale-6 (SMS-6; Mallett et al., 2007) to more thoroughly study the structure of motivation and the practical utility of using such a scale to measure motivation among runners. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to evaluate eight alternative models. After finding unsatisfactory fit of these models, exploratory factor analysis was conducted post hoc to further examine the measurement structure of motivation. A three-factor structure of general motivation, external accolades, and isolation/solitude explained motivation best, although high cross-loadings of items suggest the structure of this construct still lacks clarity. Future directions to modify item content and re-examine structure as well as limitations of this study are discussed. / Dissertation/Thesis / M.A. Educational Psychology 2012

Essa pesquisa teve como objetivo investigar a motivação de coristas para participar da atividade coral de extensão universitária. As questões que nortearam essa investigação foram: a) Quais os motivos que levam o indivíduo a procurar um coro? São os mesmos que o fazem continuar? b) qual a influência do ambiente coral na motivação dos coristas? c) Quais os motivos que podem levar o corista a abandonar um grupo coral? São internos ou externos à atividade? O referencial teórico utilizado foi fundamentado na Teoria da Autodeterminação, que analisa as razões pelas quais os indivíduos se envolvem ou evitam determinadas atividades. Essas razões são evidenciadas pelos diferentes tipos de motivação que podem ser distinguidos de acordo com seu nível de autodeterminação, através da satisfação de três necessidades psicológicas básicas: a necessidade de autonomia, a necessidade de competência e a necessidade de pertencimento. Na metodologia da pesquisa optamos por uma abordagem qualitativa, através de entrevistas semiestruturadas a coristas ativos e ex-coristas de um dos grupos corais de extensão universitária. Os dados foram reduzidos baseados nas questões da pesquisa e foram analisados à luz da teoria da autodeterminação. Os dados revelaram que os coristas nem sempre buscam a atividade por motivos intrínsecos a ela e que o contexto coral, por vezes, frustra alguma das necessidades psicológicas básicas, podendo influenciar na motivação para continuar na atividade. Como resultados, pretende-se fomentar a reflexão sobre questões motivacionais entre regentes e educadores musicais que trabalham com coros, bem como sua respectiva formação. / This research aimed to investigate the chorister motivation to join the choir activity of an university extension program. The questions that guided this research were: a) What are the reasons a person seeks a chorus? Are the same reasons that make them continue? b) What is the influence of choral environment in chorister motivation? c) What are the reasons the chorister gives up a choir? Are these reasons internal or external to the activity? The theoretical framework was based on Self-determination Theory, which analyzes the reasons why individuals engage or avoid certain activities. These reasons are evidenced by different types of motivation that can be distinguished according to their level of self-determination, through the satisfaction of three basic psychological needs: the need for autonomy, competence, and relatedness. In research methodology we decided for a qualitative approach, through semi-structured interviews with active choristers and former choristers from one of the university extension choirs. Data were reduced based on the research questions and were analyzed in the light of self-determination theory. The data revealed that the choristers not always seek the activity for intrinsic reasons and that the choral environment sometimes frustrates some of the basic psychological needs, which may influence the motivation to continue in the activity. As a result, we intend to foster reflection on motivational issues between conductors and music educators who work with choir, as well as their respective education.

I dagens skola finns ett stort fokus på hög måluppfyllelse, bedömning och betyg. Enligt forskning är det av stor vikt att eleven själv har en inre motivation och känner tillit till sitt lärande. Detta går emot dagens mål- och betygshets och påverkar elevens motivation negativt. En stor andel av eleverna i studien indikerar lågt självförtroende, omotivation och känsla av inkompetens på matematiklektionerna. Vi vet att motivation har stor betydelse för lärande men hur skapas en sådan undervisning? Vi tror att motiverade elever med ett gott självförtroende når en högre måluppfyllelse, därför är syftet med studien att ta reda på hur undervisning kan bedrivas så att elevers matematiska självförtroende och motivation gynnas. Fokus är de elever som befaras utveckla matematiksvårigheter. Studien är kvalitativ och data har samlats in via elevenkäter, lärarintervjuer och observationer i årskurs 4 och 5 på två skolor i två kommuner. Det teoretiska ramverket i studien är Self Determination Theory (SDT) samt sociokulturell teori. Teorierna har använts vid utformande av datainsamlingsmetoderna och i analys. I resultatet ser vi exempel på elevers önskan att erbjudas undervisning som bygger på samarbete med en eller flera och få stöd från föräldrar och kamrater för att lära sig matematik. Det framkom även att lärare såg formativ återkoppling och att erbjuda uppgifter som kan lösas på olika nivåer som viktigt. Lärare har viss kunskap om hur stor betydelse motivation och självförtroende i matematik har, men de behöver bättre förutsättningar och mer kunskap. Vi hoppas att studien kan bidra till mer kunskap och därmed högre måluppfyllelse.