Motivational Traits Research Articles

Effects of External Learning Aids on Learning with Ill-Structured Hypertext

From a practical point of view the research presented in this article investigates learning in ill-structured hypertext without (efficient) internal learning aids (such as maps, guided tours, or intelligent information retrieval support), because this kind of learning system is more spread in everyday instruction with new information technologies (e.g., WWW) than educationally well equipped learning systems. Based on the concepts of “minimalist instruction” and “browsing” three experiments (with high school and college students) concerning learning with ill-structured hypertext are depicted. In each of the experiments one different kind of external learning aid (memo pads, learning time, and teaching objectives) was manipulated and examined on its effect on intentional and incidental knowledge acquisition. Also corresponding traits (action control, achievement motivation, extraversion, and motivation for variation) and process variables (e.g., frequency and diversity of chosen nodes) were considered as covariables. Statistical procedures were focused on CTTI (Complex Trait-Treatment-Interactions)-analysis with MAN(C)OVA. Results showed that the less students were action-oriented the more they profited in intentional learning from using memo pads. The usage of memo pads also decreased incidental learning, especially when many nodes were chosen. Results further indicated that intentional learning was high and incidental learning was low when learning time was at a medium level. The salience of teaching objectives influenced both types of learning in interaction with the measured motivational personality traits. Findings were briefly discussed on the basis of an integrated theoretical aptitude-treatment interaction approach to knowledge acquisition using cognitive effort as main construct.

Differences in Motivation Towards Science Subjects Among Kibbutz and Urban High School Students

This paper study analyzes differences in motivation towards science subjects among kibbutz and urban high school students in Israel. Students' motivational traits in science were explored by a questionnaire whose items corresponded to four motivational patterns: achievement, curiosity, conscientiousness and sociability. The major findings of this study are that a) Kibbutz students were mostly sociability oriented in the learning of science, b) city students were mostly sociability and achievement oriented in the learning of science, c) city students were better achievers than kibbutz students in junior high school, while in senior high school the difference between them was nonsignificant, d) there was a significant increase in kibbutz students' achievement motivation in learning science when passing from junior to senior high school.

Motivational patterns observed in Sixth‐Grade science classrooms

Drawing on theories of student motivation to learn and conceptual change learning in science, this article describes five patterns of student motivation observed in sixth-grade science classrooms: (a) intrinsically motivated to learn science; (b) motivated to learn science; (c) intrinsically motivated but inconsistent; (d) unmotivated and task avoidant; and (e) negatively motivated and task resistant. These motivational patterns were related in theoretically predictable ways with the learning strategies and other behaviors that the students exhibited in the classrooms. The study highlights the value of distinguishing motivation to learn from intrinsic motivation, and of distinguishing general motivational traits from situation-specific motivational states. The study also highlights the importance of considering subject-matter content in classroom motivation. Implications for motivation research and classroom practices are discussed. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Motivational patterns observed in Sixth-Grade science classrooms

Drawing on theories of student motivation to learn and conceptual change learning in science, this article describes five patterns of student motivation observed in sixth-grade science classrooms: (a) intrinsically motivated to learn science; (b) motivated to learn science; (c) intrinsically motivated but inconsistent; (d) unmotivated and task avoidant; and (e) negatively motivated and task resistant. These motivational patterns were related in theoretically predictable ways with the learning strategies and other behaviors that the students exhibited in the classrooms. The study highlights the value of distinguishing motivation to learn from intrinsic motivation, and of distinguishing general motivational traits from situation-specific motivational states. The study also highlights the importance of considering subject-matter content in classroom motivation. Implications for motivation research and classroom practices are discussed. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Students' Motivational Traits in Science: a cross‐age study

AbstractThis paper reports the results of a cross‐age study dealing with high school students' motivational traits in science. Students' motivational traits in science were explored by a questionnaire whose items were written to correspond to four motivational patterns: achievement, curiosity, conscientiousness and sociability. The major findings of this study are: (1) most students may be assigned to one or a combination of two motivational traits in science; (2) most students may be categorised as ‘sociable'; (3) students' ‘sociability’, ‘curiosity’ and ‘conscientiousness’ motivations in science do not undergo any substantial change in secondary school; (4) more boys than girls may be categorised as ‘achievers’ in junior high school but the gap narrows and even reverses in senior high school; (5) more boys than girls from grade 8 to 10 may be categorised as ‘curious’, but the relationship becomes equal in grade 11; (6) more girls than boys may be categorised as ‘conscientious’ throughout all the grades; and (7) girls and boys may be almost equally categorised as ‘sociable’ throughout all the grades.

Filling a curriculum gap in chemistry

In most science courses at secondary level, the teaching methods used are not tailored to present different approaches to meet the individual differences in pupils’ learning styles or motivation. Much in the detailed objectives, and blow‐by‐blow worksheet approach, will appeal to the conscientious pupil but may turn off the more creative and curious pupil. Mini‐projects (problem solving at the bench) were used as a vehicle to motivate the curious pupils. Correlations of factors such as convergence/divergence, field‐dependence/field‐independence and motivational traits with ‘success’ in mini‐projects are set out in this paper. The evidence indicates that those who do best in practical problem solving of the mini‐project type are the curious, field‐independent and divergent pupils. However, all categories of pupils were stimulated to varying degrees by the projects.

Children's motivation analysis test (CMAT): An experimental manipulation of curiosity and boredom

The present study investigated the influence of manipulating the states of curiosity and boredom on the 10 scales of the Children's Motivation Analysis Test (CMAT). The CMAT is a multidimensional objective (T-data) instrument measuring several important dynamic motivation traits among primary school children. The CMAT was administered to 202 grade 6 and 7 children, pre- and post-exposure to either curiosity, boredom, or control (neutral) conditions. Scores on the Unintegrated Curiosity scale of the CMAT increased for the children in the Curiosity condition. For children in the Boredom condition, Unintegrated Pugnacity, Unintegrated and Integrated Narcism scores increased in response to the mildly aversive experimental manipulation. Evidently, a number of the dynamic traits measured in the CMAT are sensitive to situational stimuli as hypothesized in the dynamic calculus theory of motivation.

The impact of teacher immediacy on students' motivation: Is it the same for all students?

This study investigated the impact of teachers’ use of immediacy behaviors on students’ reported motivation to study over the course of a semester. Students’ state and trait motivation to study for a class was measured at three points during a semester. Reports of teachers’ use of verbal and nonverbal immediacy were collected at two points in a semester. It was hypothesized that not all students would respond similarly to a teacher low in immediacy. Support was found for this hypothesis. Students beginning the semester with either low or moderate state motivation to study were found to have increased levels of motivation later in the semester when exposed to a highly immediate teacher. Students beginning the semester with high motivation maintained high motivation regardless of the level of immediacy they reported their teacher of having.

Children's Motivation Analysis Test (CMAT) ‐‐ Normative data

The Children Motivation Analysis Test (CMAT) is a newly developed paper and pencil (objective) instrument for quantifying human motivational dynamic traits among upper elementary school childeren. The CMAT is a downward extension of the SMAT and MAT questionnaires, which have put motivation measurement on a firm (Objective) empirical and theoretical basis. These objective instruments avoid the most serious handicap of self‐report instruments (Boyle, 1989). N‐stens for 540 Zimbabwean children in Grade 6 are presented as the CMAT was administered to separate groups of girls and boys, children, representing the first such normative data available for this instrument in Africa. Gender differences in means and standard deviations for the main CMAT subscales for each group are investigated and reported.

Findings in Creativity and Relevance in Civil Engineering

National needs, world power restructuring, and global problems demand creative solutions and innovative strategies. Creativity is the generation of ideas that are novel to the individual or to the group involved in the task. Creative productivity depends on the depth and breadth of information and on the individual's capacity for unrestricted thinking. Akin to the creative act, there is also a creative attitude, which can be stimulated or inhibited. The study of the personalities of creative individuals has revealed common cognitive and motivational traits. Neurological explanations for most of these phenomena are still lacking, however, findings already point to the importance of nurturing the brain at all ages. Several steps have been recognized in the creative process. The same steps are identified in the scientific method, and in a wide range of engineering methods. Inhibitors and stimulators of creativity can be readily found in the practice of civil engineering. Computer systems can be designed to s...

Development of personality in dancers: A longitudinal study

In a longitudinal designed study, young female dancers, spending about 15 hr weekly on classical and modern ballet education, filled in questionnaires measuring temperamental and motivational traits. Subjects were tested on two occasions, with a time interval of 2 yr between first and second occasion. In addition, on the second testing occasion a new sample of dancers filled in the questionnaires for the first time. The results confirmed the typical personality profile of dancers, reported in an earlier study, i.e. dancers being introverted, relatively high on emotionality, strongly achievement motivated, and exhibiting less favourable self-attitudes. Differences in personality scores between dancers who had continued their professional ballet education and those who had dropped out were small. It is concluded that differences in personality traits between dancers and non-dancers are most likely the result of a process of self-selection, i.e. the ballet subculture attracts persons who possess particular personality traits.

Students’ motivational traits and preferences for different instructional modes in science education‐Part 2

The main finding to emerge from the investigation described in this paper is that distinct links exist between students’ motivational traits and their preferences for, or dislikes of, different instructional procedures used in science education. These links appear to be particularly pronounced in the case of ‘curious students’, ‘conscientious students’ and ‘sociable students’, but are less obvious for ‘achiever students’. The actual nature of the various links is identified and the educational implications of the findings are discussed.

Motivational traits and preferences for different instructional modes in science

In this paper, the development and validation of an instrument for determining students’ motivational traits are reported, together with some general results concerning these traits. The findings broadly confirm empirically the existence of the four motivational traits proposed by Adar (1969) that are attributable to students’ need to ‘achieve’, to ‘satisfy their curiosity’, to ‘discharge a duty’ and to ‘affiliate with people’.

PREDICTION OF ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT USING THE SCHOOL MOTIVATION ANALYSIS TEST

Summary. Mathematics and English achievement was investigated among 277 Year 10 Australian students. Using the School Motivation Analysis Test (SMAT) as the measure of dynamic motivational traits, significant achievement variance (25 per cent for Mathematics; 34 per cent for English) was accounted for independently from that due to abilities and personality traits. Male students tended to invest a greater proportion of intellectual abilities (indexed via the SMAT General Information Intelligence score) than did females in the learning of Mathematics (accounting for 25 per cent of the variance for males), whereas females demonstrated a higher investment of abilities in English. The specific motivational dynamic traits predictive of performance in each subject area are reported and discussed.

Personality and motivational trait correlates of the telic dominance scale

Data drawn from two experiment on the correlation between Apter's Telic Dominance Scale (TDS) and the personality and motivation measures (16PF and MAT) of Cattell and his colleagues are reported. Ss were a total of 114 students. A number of significant stable correlations between the TDS subscales and 19PF and MAT variables were found, generally as would be predicted from scale descriptions. In particular, evidence that the Arousal Avoidance subscale of the TDS was psychometrically similar to the 16PF scale was found. Subsequent multiple-regression analyses showed that 16PF and MAT variables could predict up to 39% of the variance of the TDS. These data suggest that the relationships between telic dominance, personality and motivation require clarification.

児童における社会志向性と課題志向性について

In this study, it was assumed that motivational trait of children could be made of two kinds of orientation: social orientation and task-orientation. The social orientation was defined by a willingness to participate in socially visible works, whereeas the task-orientation was defined by an interest in the independent mastery and the challenge to the difficulty. The purpose of this study was to construct a scale to measure the relative intensity of these orientations, and to investigate how these orientations relate to the children's adjustment to various situations.In the first study, a scale (originally containing 24 items) measuring the two orientations was constructed and administered to 436 boys and girls from 4 th to 9 th grade. The results indicated that in both elementary school and secondary school, two factors were obtained and the factor structure was very similar in both schools. As expected, these factors corresponded to the social and task-orientation. Consequently, the scale was of 16 items (8 items in each orientation).Next, the developmental trends in each orientation were analysed. The social orientation decreased at the 8 th grade level, and temporally increased in 6th grade boys. As for the task-orientation, a decrease was observed in girls, especially on items measuring challenge.In the second study, the relationships of the two orientations in children's adjustment were investigated. The measures were sociometric test (choice of playmates and study-mates),“l'épreuve du dynamisme évolutif”, self-esteem scale, and academic achievement. 180 boys and girls in 4 th through 6 th grade were used as subjects, and were classified into four categories according to their relative intensity of the two orientations.Main results were as follows.1. In the sociometric status of each group, social orientation was related to the status in the choice of playmates, whereas both social and task-orientation were related to the status in the study-mates. Socially oriented groups showed relatively high rate of mutual choice.2. In l'épreuve du dynamisme évolutif and the selfesteem scale, the socially oriented groups rated their feeling of social adjustment higher, and preferred their own school age more than the less oriented groups.3. In the academic achievement, both orientations were related to some extent to their achievement in many school subjects. In general, the task-orientation had stronger relations; still, some characteristics in each subject were found.Some implications assuming two kinds of orientation (i. e. social and task-orientation) were discussed.

Validity Studies Using the Comprehensive Ability Battery (Cab): III. Performance in Conjunction With Personality and Motivational Traits

Results of a study are presented in which 129 grade 10 male and female students were measured by batteries from three individual-difference domains: the Comprehensive Ability Battery (CAB), the High School Personality Questionnaire (HSPQ), and the School Motivation Analysis Test (SMAT). Four ability measures from the CAB found previously to be maximally predictive of academic achievement, and three factor scales from each of the personality temperament trait (HSPQ) and motivational trait (SMAT) domains, isolated by stepwise multiple regression methods, are dealt with in detail. Correlations between measures of these traits or of simple linear composites of these measures, on the one hand, and year-end grades in various academic courses, on the other, are presented separately by sex. Information from the personality and motivational trait domains is shown to add significantly to the already-efficient prediction obtained from the ability variables.

Motivational and personality trait relationships in mate selection.

This article discusses the question of homogamy and/or heterogamy in human mate selection with particular emphasis on Winch's principles of type I and type II complementarity. The experiment was performed on 82 married couples, at least one spouse of which was a graduate student at the University of Illinois. All were given the 16PF, the Motivational Analysis Test (MAT), and the Marriage Role Questionnaire. The authors found that except for fear and pugnacity all husband-wife trait correlations were positive, in contrast to Winch's principle of type I complementarity. They also found that their data did not support Winch's principle of type II complementarity.

An Examination of Second Order Motivational Factors as Found in Adults

Abstract Dynamic motivational traits identified by Cattell were factor analytically examined to determine more general underlying factors. Cattell's Motivational Analysis Test, which measures 10 dynamic structures was administered to 247 subjects. The intercorrelations of the dynamics were factor analyzed. Six general motivational factors were found: Long Term Growth and Satisfaction vs. Short Term Attainments with Frustrations, Social vs. Selfish Values, Masculinity vs. Femininity, People Orientation, Egocentric vs. Materialistic Orientation, Relaxed Materialism vs. Frustrated Insecurity. The factors represented an individual's general motivational orientation.

Personality correlates of anagram problem solving.

Summary The relationship between personality and problem solving was studied by correlating anagram-solving performance with the 15 motivational traits measured by the Edwards Personal Preference Schedule. The results revealed a clear-cut pattern of relationships in which significant positive correlations were obtained between the socially oriented needs of Affiliation, Succorance, Nurturance, and Heterosexuality, while significant negative correlations were obtained for Deference, Intraception, and Endurance. The findings suggest that anagram solving is more sensitive to the socially oriented rather than the nonsocial needs of the solver, and that Endurance shows promise as a measure of problem-solving rigidity.