<p>Current online learning
approaches are sometimes criticized for a
“one- size- fits -all” approach, low levels of interactivity, and insufficient
feedback, which may result in low levels of learning satisfaction and high
dropout rates. To mitigate these shortcomings,
this study proposed a set of rules to design personalized motivational feedback
based on students’ personal achievement goals. The researcher expected this specially designed personalized
feedback to be able to improve student motivation and learning outcomes. </p>
<p>To examine the effectiveness of such feedback, an explanatory
mixed-methods study was implemented, which included two consecutive phases. The
first phase was a quasi-experimental study. A
2018 online master’s degree program course offered by a large R-1
University in the U.S. served as the study context. Twenty-eight students were selected as the test group where
personalized motivational feedback based on the proposed rules was delivered along with regular instructor
feedback. Another forty students were selected
as the control group who only received regular instructor feedback. Students’
motivation and perceived satisfaction were measured by using pre and post
surveys. Students’ learning performance was measured by using the collected
assignment scores after the semester ended. The second phase was a set of post
interviews, in which 13 students from the two groups were asked about their
perceptions of the impact of the feedback they received and how they used
feedback in their learning process during the study.</p>
<p>In the first study phase,
ANCOVA F test results indicated the post-test scores of learner motivation and
perceived satisfaction in the test group were significantly higher than those
of the control group. The mean value of the cumulative assignment scores in the
test group was somewhat higher than that of the control group, but this difference was not statistically
significant based on the results of Wilcoxon Two-Sample test and ANCOVA F test.
In the second study phase, the post-interviews showed that students in the test
group expressed more consistently and strongly that they had an overall
positive perception of the feedback received in the course. The participants
from the test group further explained the underlying mechanism of this
personalized motivational feedback was that it affected students’ learning
positively by helping them set and regulate learning goals, activate
self-regulation mechanisms, and adjust their learning behaviors.</p>
<p>Based on the results and
the features of the study design, the researcher concluded that the personalized
feedback designed by following the set of rules proposed in this study has the
potential to improve learner motivation in the online
learning context. While its effect on learning outcomes was not significant, the
researcher speculated that learning outcomes might
have been affected by more complex factors, such as ceiling effects and predominant
class structures. </p>
<p>The researcher suggested
online instructors and instructional designers consider students’ achievement
goals when conducting learner analysis and creating learner profiles. She also
suggested developers of next-generation LMSs include achievement goals in the
learner model and include such rules in a personalization mechanism. One
primary limitation of this study was that a ceiling effect on learning
performance emerged leading to insufficient variation for the researcher to
detect a statistically significant difference in learning performance.
Therefore, the researcher suggests future researchers in this area replicate
this approach by using automated feedback delivery tools and consider employing
personalized feedback in different types of classes and using specific
instructional approaches, such as problem-based learning and competency-based
learning. Future research should also consider achievement goal’s mediating
factors, such as students’ self-regulation skills, in learner analysis. </p>
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:purdue.edu/oai:figshare.com:article/7999388 |
| Date | 15 May 2019 |
| Creators | Huanhuan Wang (6593204) |
| Source Sets | Purdue University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text, Thesis |
| Rights | CC BY 4.0 |
| Relation | https://figshare.com/articles/EXAMINING_THE_EFFECTIVENESS_OF_ACHIEVEMENT_GOAL-BASED_PERSONALIZED_MOTIVATIONAL_FEEDBACK_IN_ONLINE_LEARNING/7999388 |
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