Exploring Interactions Between Motivation and Cognition to Better Shape Self-Regulated Learning

Abstract

Research targeting desirable difficulties has provided researchers and educators with a deeper understanding of the methods of study that benefit long-term learning. This literature has also provided important insights about why students do not always prefer practice methods that result in long term learning gains. Research targeting the interaction of motivation and cognition can provide additional insights into the factors underlying students’ self-regulatory learning behaviors. The current paper discusses research on the role of motivation derived from our past achievement experiences, which can enrich our understanding of the factors that influence student's achievement choices. For example, memories of prior academic experiences influence student motivation and serve as the basis for task specific expectancies and values, which are reflected in the amount of effort and the strategies learners deploy on learning and problem-solving tasks. The paper highlights findings from the literatures on achievement motivation and judgment and decision making in an effort to broaden and enrich the discussion of the application of desirable difficulties to multidimensional educational contexts.