Interest Cannot Be Forced. The Role of Academic Motivation and Teaching Styles in the Development of Students’ Critical Thinking

  • Yuliya Koreshnikova HSE University
  • Elena Avdeeva Krasnoyarsk State Medical University named after V.F. Voyno-Yasenetsky
Keywords: critical thinking, intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation, amotivation, constructivist teaching style, traditionalist teaching style

Abstract

In a situation of a sharp increase in the volume of information, often including a large number of false facts of various nature (disinformation), critical thinking becomes one of the competencies, the formation of which is decided by the scientific and educational community. Scientists identify academic motivation and teaching styles as factors associated with the development of critical thinking. The relationship between these factors and critical thinking has previously been studied only in relation to the dichotomous scale of academic motivation, consisting of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. The relationship of other types of motivation identified in the theory of self-determination E.L. Desi and R.M. Ryan has not been studied. This study, conducted on a sample of economics students at the Russian National Research University (4867 students), is intended to contribute to this discussion. Authors determine which teaching style leads to the activation of learning motivation, identified within the theory of self-determination. In addition, which types of learning motivation are predictors of the development of critical thinking. The analysis was carried out using the method of multivariate regression with the inclusion of variables of mediators. This will allow to identify teaching methods associated with the activation of the necessary types of motivation, and, as a result, an increase in the educational results associated with them. However, despite the authors’ attempts to identify additional types of academic motivation positively associated with CT within the subscale of extrinsic motivation, it was proved that only types of intrinsic motivation were positively associated with the construct under study. They are activated when the constructivist style of teaching is applied, which, among other things, explains its effectiveness in relation to the development of a given construct.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Abramovich S., Schunn C., Higashi R.M. (2013) Are Badges Useful in Education? It Depends upon the Type of Badge and Expertise of Learner. Educational Technology Research and Development, vol. 61, no 2, pp. 217-232. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-013-9289-2

Arum R., Roksa J. (2011) Academically Adrift: Limited Learning on College Campuses. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. https://doi.org/10.7208/chicago/9780226028576.001.0001

Astin A.W. (1985) Achieving Educational Excellence. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Baron R.M., Kenny D.A. (1986) The Moderator-Mediator Variable Distinction in Social Psychological Research: Conceptual, Strategic, and Statistical Considerations. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, vol. 51, no 6, pp. 1173-1182. https://doi.org/10.1037//0022-3514.51.6.1173

Bloom B., Englehart M., Furst E., Hill W., Krathwohl D. (1956) Taxonomy of Educational Objectives: The Classification of Educational Goals. Vol. I. Cognitive Domain. New York, Toronto: Longmans, Green.

Boguslavskiy M.V., Neborskiy E.V. (2014) Vysshee obrazovanie v rossiyskoy traditsii: opyt i sovremennost' [Higher Education in Russian Tradition: Experience and Modern Times]. Humanities, Social-Economic and Social Sciences, no 9, pp. 229-232.

Brooks M.G., Brooks J.G. (1999) The Constructivist Classroom. Educational Leadership, vol. 57, no 3, pp. 18-24.

Buckley P., Doyle E. (2017) Individualising Gamification: An Investigation of the Impact of Learning Styles and Personality Traits on the Efficacy of Gamification Using a Prediction Market. Computers & Education, vol. 106, no 1, pp. 43-55. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2016.11.009

Byrne B.M. (2016) Structural Equation Modelling with AMOS: Basic Concepts, Applications, and Programming. New York: Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315757421

Darby A., Longmire-Avital B., Chenault J., Haglund M. (2013) Students' Motivation in Academic Service-Learning over the Course of the Semester. College Student Journal, vol. 47, no 1, pp. 185-191.

Davydov V.V., Repkin V.V. (1997) Organizatsiya razvivayushchego obucheniya v V-IX klassakh sredney shkoly. Rekomendatsii dlya uchiteley, rukovoditeley shkol i organov upravleniya obrazovaniem [Organization of Developmental Education in the V-IX Grades of Secondary School. Recommendations for Teachers, School Leaders and Education Authorities]. Psikhologicheskaya nauka i obrazovanie / Psychological Science and Education, vol. 2, no 1, pp. 15-34.

Deci E.L., Ryan R.M. (1985) Conceptualizations of Intrinsic Motivation and Self-Determination. Intrinsic Motivation and Self-Determination in Human Behavior (ed. E. Aronson), Boston, MA: Springer, pp. 11-40. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-2271-7_2

Driscoll M.P. (2005) Psychology of Learning for Instruction. Boston: Pearson Allyn and Bacon.

Ennis R.H. (1996) Critical Thinking Dispositions: Their Nature and Assessability. Informal Logic, vol. 18, no 2. https://doi.org/10.22329/il.v18i2.2378

Ernst J., Monroe M. (2004) The Effects of Environment‐Based Education on Students' Critical Thinking Skills and Disposition toward Critical Thinking. Environmental Education Research, vol. 10, no 4, pp. 507-522. https://doi.org/10.1080/1350462042000291038

Falikman M.V. (2016) Metodologiya konstruktivizma v psikhologii poznaniya [Methodology of Constructivism in the Psychology of Cognition]. Psychological Studies, vol. 9, no 48. https://doi.org/10.54359/ps.v9i48.442

Feldman K.A. (1989) The Association between Student Ratings of Specific Instructional Dimensions and Student Achievement: Refining and Extending the Synthesis of Data from Multisection Validity Studies. Research in Higher Education, vol. 30, no 6, pp. 583-645. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00992392

Garcia T., Pintrich P.R. (1992) Critical Thinking and Its Relationship to Motivation, Learning Strategies, and Classroom Experience. Paper presented at the 100th Annual Meeting of the American Psychological Association, Washington, DC, August 14-18, 1992.

Gordeeva T.O. (2013) Motivatsiya uchebnoy deyatel'nosti shkol'nikov i studentov: struktura, mekhanizmy, usloviya razvitiya [Motivation of Educational Activity of Schoolchildren and Students: Structure, Mechanisms, Conditions of Development] (PhD Thesis), Moscow: Lomonosov Moscow State University.

Gordeeva T.O. (2006) Psikhologiya motivatsii dostizheniya [Psychology of Achievement Motivation]. Moscow: Smysl.

Gordeeva T.O., Sychev O.A., Osin E.N. (2014) Oprosnik ˮShkaly akademicheskoy motivatsiiˮ [ˮAcademic Motivation Scales" Questionnaire]. Psikhologicheskiy zhurnal / Psychological Journal, vol. 35, no 4, pp. 96-107.

Gordeeva T.O., Sychev A., Pshenichnuk D.V., Sidneva A.N. (2018) Academic Motivation of Elementary School Children in Two Educational Approaches-Innovative and Traditional. Psychology in Russia: State of the Art, vol. 11, no 4, pp. 19-36. https://doi.org/10.11621/pir.2018.0402

Gredler M.E. (1997) Learning and Instruction: Theory into Practice. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Hair J., Black W., Babin B., Anderson R. (2014) Multivariate Data Analysis. New Jersey, NY: Pearson Educational.

Halpern D.F. (1998) Teaching Critical Thinking for Transfer across Domains: Disposition, Skills, Structure Training, and Metacognitive Monitoring. American Psychologist, vol. 53, no 4, pp. 449-455. https://doi.org/10.1037//0003-066X.53.4.449

Hamilton K.A., Yao M.Z. (2018) Blurring Boundaries: Effects of Device Features on Metacognitive Evaluations. Computers in Human Behavior, vol. 89, July, pp. 213-220. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2018.07.044

Howard J.L., Bureau J., Guay F., Chong J.X., Ryan R.M. (2021) Student Motivation and Associated Outcomes: A Meta-Analysis from Self-Determination Theory. Perspectives on Psychological Science, vol. 16, no 6, pp. 1300-1323. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691620966789

Hoogstraten J., Christiaans H.H.C.M. (1975) The Relationship of the Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal to Sex and Four Selected Personality Measures for a Sample of Dutch First-Year Psychology Students. Educational and Psychological Measurement, vol. 35, no 4, pp. 969-973. https://doi.org/10.1177/001316447503500428

Ingle C.O. (2007) Predictors of Critical Thinking Ability among College Students (PhD Thesis), Lexington: University of Kentucky.

Kahneman D. (2014) Dumaj medlenno… Reshaj bystro [Thinking, Fast and Slow]. Moscow: AST.

Kaplan A., Maehr M.L. (2007) The Contributions and Prospects of Goal Orientation Theory. Educational Psychology Review, vol. 19, no 2, pp. 141-184. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-006-9012-5

Koreshnikova Yu.N. (2021) Organizatsionnye i pedagogicheskie usloviya razvitiya kriticheskogo myshleniya u studentov vuzov [Organizational and Pedagogical Conditions for the Development of Critical Thinking Skills among University Students] (PhD Thesis), Moscow: HSE.

Koreshnikova Yu.N., Froumin I.D., Pashchenko T.V. (2020) Bar'ery dlya sozdaniya pedagogicheskikh uslovij razvitiya kriticheskogo myshleniya v rossijskikh vuzakh [Barriers to Creating Pedagogical Conditions for the Development of Critical Thinking in Russian Universities]. Pedagogika, vol. 84, no 9, pp. 45-54.

Koreshnikova Yu.N., Froumin I.D. (2020) Professional'nye kompetentsii pedagoga kak factor sformirovannosti kriticheskogo myshleniya studentov [Teachers' Professional Skills as a Factor in the Development of Students' Critical Thinking]. Psikhologicheskaya nauka i obrazovanie / Psychological Science and Education, vol. 25, no 6, pp. 88-103. https://doi.org/10.17759/pse.2020250608

Kwan Y.W., Wong A.F. (2015) Effects of the Constructivist Learning Environment on Students' Critical Thinking Ability: Cognitive and Motivational Variables as Mediators. International Journal of Educational Research, vol. 70, February, pp. 68-79. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2015.02.006

Lekalakala-Mokgele E. (2010) Facilitation in Problem-Based Learning: Experiencing the Locus of Control. Nurse Education Today, vol. 30, no 7, pp. 638-642. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2009.12.017

Lektorskiy V.A. (2011) Deyatel'nostny podkhod vchera i segodnya [The Activity Approach of Yesterday and Today]. Stil' myshleniya: problema istoricheskogo edinstva nauchnogo znaniya. K 80-letiyu Vladimira Petrovicha Zinchenko [Style of Thinking: The Problem of Historical Unity of Scientific Knowledge. To the 80th Anniversary of Vladimir Petrovich Zinchenko] (ed. T.G. Shchedrina), Moscow: ROSSPEN, pp. 15-27.

Lepper M.R., Henderlong J. (2000) Turning "Play" into "Work" and "Work" into "Play": 25 Years of Research on Intrinsic versus Extrinsic Motivation. Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation, January, pp. 257-307. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-012619070-0/50032-5

Loyalka P., Liu O.L., Li G., Kardanova et al. (2021) Skill Levels and Gains in University STEM Education in China, India, Russia and the United States. Nature Human Behaviour, vol. 5, no 7, pp. 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-021-01062-3

Marsh H.W., Hau K.T., Wen Z. (2004) In Search of Golden Rules: Comment on Hypothesis-Testing Approaches to Setting Cutoff Values for Fit Indexes and Dangers in Overgeneralizing Hu and Bentler's (1999) Findings. Structural Equation Modeling, vol. 11, no 3, pp. 320-341. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15328007sem1103_2

Meece J.L., Blumenfeld P.C., Hoyle R.H. (1988) Students' Goal Orientations and Cognitive Engagement in Classroom Activities. Journal of Educational Psychology, vol. 80, no 4, pp. 514-523. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.80.4.514

Norris S.P. (2003) The Meaning of Critical Thinking Test Performance: The Effects of Abilities and Dispositions on Scores. Critical Thinking and Reasoning: Current Research, Theory and Practice (ed. D. Fasko), Cresskill, NJ: Hampton, pp. 315-329.

Pan Y., Gauvain M. (2012) The Continuity of College Students' Autonomous Learning Motivation and Its Predictors: A Three-Year Longitudinal Study. Learning and Individual Differences, vol. 22, no 1, pp. 92-99. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2011.11.010

Perkins D.N., Jay E., Tishman S. (1993) Beyond Abilities: A Dispositional Theory of Thinking. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, vol. 39, no 1, pp. 1-21.

Porter S.R. (2013) Self-Reported Learning Gains: A Theory and Test of College Student Survey Response. Research in Higher Education, vol. 54, no 2, pp. 201-226. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11162-012-9277-0

Schunk D.H. (2012) Learning Theories an Educational Perspective. Boston: Pearson.

Sewell W.H., Hauser R.M. (1972) Causes and Consequences of Higher Education: Models of the Status Attainment Process. American Journal of Agricultural Economics, vol. 54, no 5, pp. 851-861. https://doi.org/10.2307/1239228

Sternberg R.J. (1986) Critical Thinking: Its Nature, Measurement, and Improvement. Washington, DS: National Institute of Education.

Schuur van der W.A., Baumgartner S.E., Sumter S.R., Valkenburg P.M. (2015) The Consequences of Media Multitasking for Youth: A Review. Computers in Human Behavior, vol. 53, July, pp. 204-215. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2015.06.035

Terenzini P.T., Springer L., Pascarella E.T., Nora A. (1995) Influences Affecting the Development of Students' Critical Thinking Skills. Research in Higher Education, vol. 36, no 1, pp. 23-39. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02207765

Thomson G. (2017) Self-Reported Learning Outcomes and Assessment: Making the Case. Paper presented at the 43rd Annual Meeting of the California Association for Institutional Research, Concord, CA, November 2017.

Valenzuela J., Nieto A., Saiz C. (2011) Critical Thinking Motivational Scale: A Contribution to the Study of Relationship between Critical Thinking and Motivation. Electronic Journal of Research in Educational Psychology, vol. 9, no 2, pp. 823-848. https://doi.org/10.25115/ejrep.v9i24.1475

Volkov E.N. (2015) Testy kriticheskogo myshleniya: vvodny obzor [Critical Thinking Tests]. Psychological Diagnostics, no 3, pp. 5-23.

Willingham D.T. (2008) Critical Thinking: Why Is It so Hard to Teach? Arts Education Policy Review, vol. 109, no 4, pp. 21-32. https://doi.org/10.3200/AEPR.109.4.21-32

Zilvinskis J., Masseria A.A., Pike G.R. (2017) Student Engagement and Student Learning: Examining the Convergent and Discriminant Validity of the Revised National Survey of Student Engagement. Research in Higher Education, vol. 58, no 8, pp. 880-903. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11162-017-9450-6

Published
2022-10-10
How to Cite
Koreshnikova, Yuliya, and Elena Avdeeva. 2022. “Interest Cannot Be Forced. The Role of Academic Motivation and Teaching Styles in the Development of Students’ Critical Thinking”. Voprosy Obrazovaniya / Educational Studies Moscow, no. 3 (October). https://doi.org/10.17323/1814-9545-2022-3-36-66.
Section
Research Articles