Studying at York
Understanding motivation & emotions in education - EDU00039H
Module summary
- To develop students' understanding of the ways in which motivation and emotions operate in school settings.
- To enable students to independently analyse a range of sources from Education and Psychology and to critically engage with the overlaps between these disciplines.
- To enable students to be able to engage with different forms of evidence, reviewing their reliability, validity and significance to the field of psychology in education.
Module will run
| Occurrence | Teaching period |
|---|---|
| A | Semester 1 2024-25 |
Module aims
- To develop students' understanding of the ways in which motivation and emotions operate in school settings.
- To enable students to independently analyse a range of sources from Education and Psychology and to critically engage with the overlaps between these disciplines.
- To enable students to be able to engage with different forms of evidence, reviewing their reliability, validity and significance to the field of psychology in education.
Module learning outcomes
Subject content:
- Gain knowledge about theory and research on academic motivation and emotions;
- Apply the knowledge to understand and improve the learning of students;
- Gain knowledge of the roles of social and cultural processes in motivation and emotions;
- Critically examine current motivation theories, and develop an integrative personal view of what motivates learning.
Academic and graduate skills:
- Formulate academic arguments in written and oral form;
- Proactively seek out and engage with a range of sources and critically evaluate the reliability and validity of these in informing and supporting academic argumentation;
- Analyse and critically evaluate the ways in which theories and data from differing disciplines can inform each other and enhance understanding (in this case, of motivation and emotion);
- Work proactively and autonomously to select and manage information and use this to engage effectively in academic debate;
- Use the VLE and Internet effectively.
Students will develop their skills of communication, note taking, searching for sources, essay writing at the undergraduate level, and develop skills in order to analyse issues and ideas. In addition, students will develop group work skills, formal and informal presentational skills, be able to identify suitable supplemental readings, and develop skills that allow them to critically examine issues and ideas relating to motivation in education. Moreover, students will develop their IT skills by interacting with the VLE.
Self-directed learning
Each class session will require students to do reading preparation and some follow up activities. The reading and follow up activities will often take several hours to complete so students should make sure that they have built in to their weekly schedule time to complete these tasks. As part of students’ studies, it is important that they embark on a process of self-directed learning in addition to the formal class meetings.
VLE
This module is supported by the Yorkshare Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). The module is being taught in conjunction with the learning materials available on the VLE. The interactive nature of the materials will allow you to fully engage with the subject area and be in control of your learning and progress through the module.
Module content
Motivation influences much of what happens in schools, yet there is often little understanding of the underlying reasons for observed behaviours. Motivation research from psychology examines the underlying reasons for behaviour, including in school settings. Understanding motivation in education provides a foundation for understanding behaviour and developing interventions.
The purpose of this course is to examine research, theory, and practice relating to motivation in educational settings.
The objectives of the module are to give students the opportunity to:
- Review key theories of academic motivation;
- Gain knowledge of the roles of goals, beliefs, tasks, values, interests, attributions, beliefs, incentives, rewards, and social and cultural processes in motivation;
- Apply the knowledge to understand and improve the learning of students;
- Critically examine current motivation theories, and develop an integrative personal view of what motivates learning.
Indicative assessment
| Task | % of module mark |
|---|---|
| Essay/coursework | 100 |
Special assessment rules
None
Indicative reassessment
| Task | % of module mark |
|---|---|
| Essay/coursework | 100 |
Module feedback
Individual written feedback reports will be provided for summative assessments, with a follow-up tutor meeting if necessary. The feedback is returned to students in line with university policy. Please check the Guide to Assessment, Standards, Marking and Feedback for more information.
Indicative reading
- Schunk, D. H., Pintrich, P. R., & Meece, J. (2008). Motivation in education: Theory, research, and applications (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
- Pink, D. H. (2009). Drive: The surprising truth about what motivates us. New York: Riverhead.