Motivation Strategies for Learning and Student Performance in Distance Education
Sheila Bonito
University of the Philippines Open University
This study describes the relationship between student performance and motivation strategies for learning among distance education students enrolled in a postgraduate nursing course. Students (n=95) were asked to answer a survey questionnaire based on Pintrich’s (1991) Motivation Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MLSQ). The MLSQ is a self-report instrument designed to assess student's motivational orientations from a cognitive perspective. There are three main motivation variables: (a) interest – a measure of how interested the student is in the material being covered in the course; (b) expectancy for success – a measure of perceptions on potential success in the course and self-confidence in understanding course content; and (c) test anxiety – which measures how students worry about tests and have distracting thoughts when taking an exam. Based on a rating scale of 1 (lowest) to 7 (highest), results showed that the class scored highest on interest (6.2; ±0.91) followed by expectancy for success (5.76; ±0.89), and lastly test anxiety (4.2; ±1.41). By rating interest as highest in motivation strategies, students appear to put more value on goal orientation or reasons why he/she is engaging in a learning activity. This also means students are motivated by task value — that is, student's evaluation of the how interesting, how important, and how useful the task is. When the motivation variables were correlated with student performance based on their final grade in the course, results showed a positive correlation with interest (rs 0.23) and expectancy for success (rs 0.03) but a negative correlation with test anxiety (rs -0.03).
Conclusions from the study indicate the need to focus on improving student interest and expectancy for success as motivation strategies for learning in distance education especially since these are positively related to student performance.
Key words: motivation strategies, interest, expectancy for success, test anxiety, student performance