Learning Mode…Switch Off!

An educational system, that is mainly preparing students for taking standardized tests, is leading students to boredom, stress, and anger. All this, eventually, will end up with students’ learning demotivation and even students’ school dropout.

All current theories of students’ motivation, since 1979, correlate the learner’s beliefs and interpretations of what is happening to his/her motivation[1]. The very same situation can have different effects depending on each learner’s interpretation. Enhancing students’ motivation is based on creating an environment that supports students’ development of a positive perspective that is now called the “growth mindset”[2] .

An individual’s mindset is based on the learner’s belief about the nature of intelligence. Demotivated students usually believe that ability and intelligence are fixed and not subject to change even with effort, however; motivated students believe that ability and intelligence are malleable and can grow with experience and effort. The latter is the “growth mindset”[3] .

Psychologically, this could be correlated with the attribution theory. An attribution is a causal explanation for an event or behavior that might be done by the person himself/herself or by another[4]. However, a wide body of research indicates that the formation of causal attributions is vital for adapting to changing environments and overcoming the challenges students are confronted with in their daily lives. When students experience desirable outcomes, attributions help them understand what caused those events so they can experience them again. When students experience unpleasant outcomes, attributions help them identify and avoid the behaviors and other factors that caused failure to occur.

To enhance growth mindset, learners must believe first that ability and intelligence are malleable and can grow with experience and effort and second that the outcomes are mainly attributed to their own abilities and skills.

This growth mindset environment must be reinforced in the whole school system, not only in curricular disciplines but also extracurricular activities and even students’ social skills. Educators should frequently 1) address the positive outcomes and attribute it back to the students’ consistency and abilities, 2) give constructive feedback when specifying student’s unpleasant outcomes through targeting the knowledge, skills and attitudes that should be more reinforced by students, and 3) helping the students to set goals to improve themselves and following them up so that they can achieve their goal.

Through this way, students will acquire this growth mindset, not only in school, but as well throughout their lives which will make them lead their own learning experiences. But the question remains, to what extent this would help within the same educational system?

[1] Sivinikki D. M. (2016). Motivation:an updated analysis. Retrieved from: https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED573640.pdf

[2] Dweck, C. S. (2006). Mindset. New York, NY: Random House.

[3] Elliot, A. J., & Harkiewicz, J. (1996). Approach and avoidance: Achievement goals and intrinsic motivation. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 70(3), 451–475

[4] Campbell, C. R., & Martinko, M. J. (1998). An integrative attributional perspective of empowerment and learned helplessness: A multi-method field study. Journal of Management, 24, 173–200