Student Motivation and Quality of Life in Higher Education

Marcus Henning, Christian Krägeloh, Glenis Wong-Toi

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2014
• ISBN:
  9781317803393
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Educational Psychology

Higher education is a high stakes process involving engagement with curricula and often entails coping with the onslaught of assessments and examinations. This process creates a level of intensity that impacts on the student experience in higher education. It is, therefore, important to consider not only the motivational aspects of learning but also quality of life issues, as they have profound effects on students. Quality of life affects the way students interact with their formal education, and has wide-reaching effects on future careers and their ability to coordinate everyday events. Integrating these two concepts, student motivation and quality of life, brings together the explicit elements that underpin learning in the higher education context, creating links between the affective and social aspects of the student life. This synthesis is integral to improving student retention and quality of life and has important ramifications for educationalists, administrators, pastoral care and academic support service personnel, and students themselves. Some highlights of the book include:

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• Applied Positive Psychology in Higher Education

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• Internationalisation and Quality of Life: A Taiwanese Perspective

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• The Computer Assisted Learning for the Mind (CALM) Website: Teaching Skills to Increase Resilience

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• The Oxford University Peer Support Programme: Addressing the Wellbeing of Students

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• Higher Education and Student Stress: Reclaiming Light, Liberty and Learning

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• Improving academic quality of life through attribution- and motivation-focused counselling

Part I
Student perspectives

This section provides a point of entry into the discussion related to the synthesis of motivation to learn and quality of life in higher education. Arguably, the main key stakeholders in the process of learning and teaching in higher education are the students. Thus, we felt that we should give this group a voice to present their personal stories. We were mindful that an entire book on this subject would make a valuable contribution to the literature, but decided to begin the dissemination of the dialogue from a personal perspective. The two students come from different backgrounds educationally: one from undergraduate medicine and the other from postgraduate psychology. We are not suggesting these students are typical of all students, but simply that they offer a valuable perspective.

1
Motivation to learn and quality of life

An undergraduate student’s perspective

Chen (Eileen) Zhou

University of Auckland, New Zealand

Key ideas

• Undergraduate students enter a new phase of academic life, experiencing many changes in routine, study methods, and peer groups.
• Motivation to study may be driven by intrinsic factors, derived from interest in a subject. It may also be regulated by extrinsic factors such as competition and course structure.
• Balancing study with a range of different activities may help in times of stress, thus improving the university student’s experience.

At the time of writing, I am a student at the University of Auckland, New Zealand, and have successfully completed my third year of the medical programme (Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery). Prior to enrolling in my studies at university, I was told that university life would provide me with some of the most enjoyable memories in my life. At first glance, this appears to conflict with my initial impression and my versions of reality. This is because, each day, we are immersed in new information, given assignments and tests, and inundated with social events. All within a fleeting time frame of 24 weeks; few lifestyles can compare to this one! Now, halfway through my degree, I think I am beginning to understand the value of these years. In this chapter, I would like to share my experience of being an undergraduate student, identifying sources of motivation and enjoyment and also areas of hardship that have impacted on my quality of life. While the journey is different for everyone, I hope that my perspective helps students and educators alike learn about this important stepping-stone on the academic journey.

Motivation can come in many different forms. For some, it is a childhood dream of becoming somebody or doing something. For others, it is pride and achievement after a difficult challenge. Personally, my motivation is driven largely by interest. There are multiple dimensions – some likely to be unconscious – that subtly contribute to my motivation to learn. Enjoyment of the work, the feeling of self-efficacy, and being in the company of like-minded peers are just a few factors enabling my interest in learning.

Interest in a subject has played, and continues to play, a major part in my undergraduate studies. To me, the more I learn about the mysteries of the body and understand why things go wrong, the more amazed I become. Only recently have I realised the reason behind the metallic taste of blood; it is because it contains iron! Being able to connect the dots from everyday observations to my learning is something which piques my interest. When we are interested in something, we naturally want to know more about it. Krapp¹ describes this from three perspectives: personal interest, situational interest, and the individual’s psychological state. This means that not only is it important for an individual to enjoy the subject, but the additional reinforcement of a stimulating environment may further develop this interest. The university is a perfect example of this. By being given access to advanced equipment, laboratory sessions, and skilled professors, as well as opportunities to attend academic conferences, my interest has been fostered. In our labs, we have the privilege of dissecting cadavers to navigate and understand the body with our own hands. This has made learning human anatomy a poignant life experience. Both situational and personal interests promote the development of a final ingredient: the psychological state of interest. When we consider the research in this area, evidence suggests that this psychological state increases focus, attentiveness, and engagement.² Whatever area interests us, I believe that finding something we personally enjoy learning at university will be an ongoing source of motivation.

One important regulator of situational interest is teaching quality. The teachers who leave a lasting impression are the ones who enable enjoyment of learning, but also stimulate interest for further study. In my first year of university, among the many biomedical papers I was taking, I chose a philosophy paper that seemed to be intriguing from the description. What I did not realise was the sheer number of assignments and tests it contained! Each lecture covered a large amount of content, which could easily have become ‘Death by PowerPoint’ had it not been for the lecturer. Using quirky examples and humour, often directed at himself, he made the class thoroughly enjoyable and thought-provoking. This is a typical response; when a teacher is expressive, uses enthusiasm, and establishes rapport, a class will pay more attention to him.³

The use of humour also produces better achievement.⁴ Unfortunately, with limited class time, large class sizes, and professors who are already busy with other commitments, lectures may not always produce optimal learning. Large class sizes significantly affect student ratings of learning outcomes and teacher effectiveness.⁵ With a diverse class, there are likely to be variations in learning capacity and speed. However, if teachers are able to strike a balance between content load and effective delivery, aimed at a level suitable for most students, then the experience of all parties may be improved.

Motivation may also stem from a sense of achievement. One technique I have found useful in managing undergraduate life is goal setting. This ranges from hourly goals for tasks that needed to be completed, to long-term planning. Having a list of goals is much like a holiday itinerary. Goals allow me to remember, work towards, and check off things that matter. Research shows that goal setting has multiple effects on engagement, persistence, and effort.⁶ These positive effects enable attainment, making the student feel efficacious. Once goals are achieved, rewarding performance is a good way to congratulate ourselves. In my first semester, I set the goal of achieving a perfect grade point average, with the reward of a shopping spree if I was successful. However, certain challenges emerged to block the attainment of my goal. Although I had set a goal, I lacked crucial insight into the difficulty of attaining it. Thus, the goal and incentive failed to benefit my motivation. For it to increase my performance, I needed to realise what work was required in order for me to achieve the goal.⁶ Putting grades aside, it is still important to recognise the hard work that goes into striving for a goal, even if we do not reach it. This includes the many hours spent studying for a test or researching an assignment, which are all achievements in themselves.

The nature of the course can lend itself to motivation. In my first year of university, I felt I was operating at my highest level of motivation. Aside from my interest in the subject being taught, there were also some extrinsic regulatory factors. I studied one of the more competitive first-year options: overlapping Year-1 entry into medical school. It seemed like everywhere I looked, there were students studying hard, aiming to get a shiny A + or sculpt a perfect clay embryo. This environment propelled me to do the same. However, competition may also be destructive. Stories about sabotaging lab partners and thievery of study notes are an additional source of stress. Fortunately, cooperation is more common,⁷ and I have not experienced any sabotaging behaviours personally.

Since entering medical school in Year 2, the study atmosphere has completely changed. Perhaps it is the process of becoming older and wiser, but the course structure itself is an enabling factor. This includes a noticeable decrease in assessments and exams, and a shift towards a clinically-oriented rather than academic learning environment. Indeed, students’ value ratings of different skills and experiences change throughout a degree, which will influence their source of motivation. This has been found by Jacobs and Newstead in their studies of undergraduate psychology students.⁸ Thus, every undergraduate course provides a different set of experiences, each honing a unique graduate. If there is one similarity, it would be the shared determination to be as prepared and professional as we can be when we graduate from our degrees, ready for what lies beyond the university walls.

In addition to studies, life as a student would not be complete without events away from university. Reflecting on my undergraduate years, these extracurricular activities comprised an important component of my quality of life. Finding out about the numerous clubs, cultural organisations, and even political groups was a surprise. These clubs enrich university life and expand our social circles. They can also act as a learning micro-environment within the university itself, providing opportunities to gain new skills. With the sheer number of events available, it was necessary to be selective. If not, it would have been too easy to become distracted. Being a student within a traditional study course,⁹ this was something I needed to learn as I had come straight from secondary school into university. Having equal amounts of study and leisure time is ideal, since the latter keeps me happy enough to study effectively. I have yet to master the skill of managing time but, as I gain more roles and responsibilities, being proficient in this skill will be a valuable tool to have under my belt. Through experience and experimentation, I believe I can maintain my sense of academic achievement and also a good quality of life through engaging in events on campus.

University life is something that is new and exciting to many of us as students, but it comes with some difficult times. One of these is the initial transition to university. If unable to adapt to the new environment and academic demands, students may become dissatisfied, stressed or bored, leading to dropout.¹⁰ All are perhaps negative, but expected, components of the undergraduate experience. In particular, an unfamiliar learning environment and teaching method is what struck me as the main difference from prior education experience. High school learning was highly dependent on teachers, requiring little self-regulated study. Being in a lecture hall with 400 other students and taught with a PowerPoint presentation was initially an unfamiliar, and possibly disengaging, teaching method. Although this may not engender poor academic results, there may be multiple effects on students. Luckily for me, there were many support services offered by my university. Peer mentoring is incredibly useful, as it provides a source of information, guidance, and inspiration. Helping students become socially integrated within the university aids motivation, which is shown to affect dropout decisions.¹¹ When my peer group is going through the same stresses and experiences as I am, they can empathise and provide relevant encouragement. Aside from the contact within lecture halls and brief glimpses between classes, however, peers may be difficult to locate at university. This is especially the case when people take a wide array of classes. If these classes allowed more opportunities for collaboration and group work, such as in small workshop sessions, then students would potentially be able to get to know more people and expand their support network. As a result, students might set time aside for getting to know their classmates, or checking in with those who have made the same transition. All of these may help to prevent stress from building up, thus keeping students more motivated to achieve their goals.

Everyone who experiences undergraduate life will have a slightly different perspective of its highlights and lowlights. By sharing my journey, I am hopeful that educators and students will have a better understanding of possible motivators and stressors. With regard to something that bears a great influence on our futures, I think the most important thing is to have a positive outlook. If we appreciate the opportunities in our challenges and see effort being rewarded, then we may find ourselves motivated to learn and enjoy the experience much more than expected. After all, our quality of life is largely subjective, based upon our own interpretations, expectations, and management. In this way, undergraduate life is like creating a work of art. At first, the rough colours look like nothing at all. But once the fun events are highlighted and the difficult patches are shaded in, they merge to make a uniquely satisfying artefact.

References

1 Krapp,A. ‘Interest, motivation and learning: an educational-psychological perspective’. European Journal of Psychology of Education. 1999; 14(1): 23–40.

2 Schiefele,U. ‘Interest, learning, and...

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Half Title Page
• Series Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• List of figures
• List of tables
• List of contributors
• Acknowledgements
• Introduction
• Part I Student perspectives
• Part II Theoretical perspectives
• Part III Diversity perspectives on motivation to learn and quality of life
• Part IV Promotion of motivation to learn and quality of life in higher education
• Part V Conclusion and model
• Index