theories of student support for retention

Theories of Student Support for Retention

Ormond SimpsonVisiting Fellow - University of London International ProgrammesPreviously Visiting Professor - Open Polytechnic of New Zealand

Previously Senior Lecturer - UK Open University23 February 2017

2

Conventional and distance graduation rates compared

82%

39%

61%

16% 13%5% 3% 1%

14%6%

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%

100%Conventional institutions

Distance institutions

3

“Theory without practice is sterile; practice without theory is blind”

(Friedrich Engels?)

“There is nothing so practical as a good theory”

(Kurt Lewin)

Friedrich Engels

Kurt Lewin

4

Professor Michael Moore

Moore’s‘Theory of Transactional

Distance’

The isolation of distance students (from other

students, their tutors and the institution) is a principal factor in dropping out.

5

Importance of learning motivation

“The best predictor of student retention is motivation.“Retention services need to clarify and build on motivation and address motivation-reducing issues. “Most students dropout because of reduced motivation”

Anderson – San Diego 2003

Professor Edward Anderson

1942-2003

6

“The important thing is not so much that every child should be taught, as that every child should be given the wish to learn.”

- Lubbock

“No teacher can ever be certain that their teaching will cause a learner to learn”.

- Ramsden (2003)Professor

Paul Ramsden

John Lubbock (1834-1913)

1. What motivates distance students to learn?2. Can we help them enhance their motivation?3. And keep it going?

77

“People often overestimate the importance of intellectual ability. Practice and perseverance contribute more to accomplishment than being smart”

Hoppe and Stojanovic (2008)

7

Motivational distance text?

Motivational distance support?

Learning motivation theories 1

‘Self-Determination Theory’‘Achievement Goal Theory’

‘Self-Efficacy Theory

‘Interest Development Model’

‘Expectancy Value Theory’‘Epistemological Identity’ Theory‘Self-Concordance Model’‘Belief in a Just World’ Theory

- and many others…

10

Four types of motivation(Self-Concordance Model; Sheldon, 2001)

Extrinsic ( driven by outside forces)Introjected (avoiding guilt and anxiety)Identified (subscribing to educational values)Intrinsic (driven by curiosity and pleasure)

Kennon Sheldon Professor of Psychological Sciences

University of Missouri,

11

Four types of motivation(Self-Concordance Model; Sheldon, 2001)

Extrinsic ( driven by outside forces)Introjected (avoiding guilt and anxiety)Identified (subscribing to educational values)Intrinsic (driven by curiosity and pleasure)

Kennon Sheldon Professor of Psychological Sciences

University of Missouri,

‘Self Determination Theory’

Edward Deci Richard Ryan

Intrinsic (self) motivations are more important than extrinsic motivations

- now often used in sports coaching (Sci. Am. Mind 2016)

13

‘Self Determination Theory’

There are three innate needs for success

C = Competence – increasing competence increases motivation

A = Autonomy – control over your learning

R = Relatedness – relationship with a person who cares about your learning

Is relatedness the most difficult thing to achieve in distance education?

“The philosophers have only interpreted the world in various ways.

The point, however, is to change it”

15

Carole Dweck ‘Self Theories’

Martin Seligman ‘Positive Psychology’

Learning motivation theories 2

John Keller ‘ARCS Theory’

John Hattie ‘Self-Reporting’

John Sweller - ‘Cognitive Load

Theory’

Keller’s ARCS Theory

• Attention – getting students attention it and keeping it - humour and empathy

• Relevance - to what students need - reducing distraction

• Confidence - giving them confidence - expertise and ‘approachability’

• Satisfaction in their achievement - feedback

17

Professor John Hattie - ‘Meta-surveys’• Student self-assessment/self-

grading• Response to intervention• Teacher credibility• Providing formative

assessments• Classroom discussion• Teacher clarity• Feedback• Reciprocal teaching• Teacher-student relationships

fostered• Spaced vs. mass practice• Meta-cognitive strategies

taught and used• Acceleration• Classroom behavioural

techniques• Vocabulary programs• Repeated reading programs• Creativity programs

‘Self-reporting’ Students should know how well they’re doing

• Student prior achievement• Self-questioning by students• Study skills• Problem-solving teaching• Not labelling students• Concept mapping• Cooperative vs individualistic learning• Direct instruction• Tactile stimulation programs• Mastery learning• Worked examples• Visual-perception programs• Peer tutoring• Cooperative vs competitive learning• Phonics instruction• Student-centered teaching• Classroom cohesion• Pre-term birth weight• Peer influences• Classroom management techniques• Outdoor-adventure programs

Cognitive Load Theory (Sweller, 1998)Transfer of learning

Initial learning goes into the working (short) memoryNeeds to be transferred to long term memory

Working

memory Long

term memor

y

Learning

18

Cognitive Design Theory 1- increase the efficiency of working memory

Use worked examples.

19

Online text

Cognitive Design Theory2 - Reduce the working memory

load Avoid redundancy - presenting concepts in too many ways

Online text

podcasts

pencasts

videoclips

blogs

forums

wikis

audioclips

Cognitive Design Theory2 - Reduce the working memory

load Avoid redundancy - presenting concepts in too many ways

‘Course Exuberance Syndrome’

When writing a course I try to put in… personal experiences acknowledging

difficulties feedback opportunities worked examples

pictures jokes and cartoons, stories and poems games

- as long as they’re relevant and not redundant

2323

Self Theories – Carol DweckQ1. You have a certain amount of intelligence and can’t do much to change it Answer True or False

Q2. Success = X% intelligence + Y% effort - Give values for X and Y

2424

Self Theories – Carole Dweck

Q1. You have a certain amount of intelligence and can’t do much to change it Answer True or False

Q2. Success = X% intelligence + Y% effort - Give values for X and Y

If you said ‘True’ to 1 and X > Y you may be an ‘entity’ theorist

If you said ‘False’ to 1 and X < Y you may be an ‘incremental’ theorist.

2525

Theories of intelligence - Dweck‘Entity’ theorists believe that their intelligence is fixed and cannot be altered through effort. ‘Incremental’ theorists’ believe that intelligence is malleable and can be changed through effort .

Entity theorists will study but give up easily when they encounter difficulties or failure.Incremental theorists will keep trying despite initial difficulties or failure.

Dweck tested her theory in a New York school

“..the effects are far beyond what you might expect from

the simplicity of the interventions”

Dweck

26

The ‘Positive Psychology’ Model

“Positive Psychology… is the psychology of happiness, flow, and personal strengths.” (Seligman, 1999).

Ilona Boniwell 1. Look for strengths that can overcome weaknesses2. Praise effort rather than achievement.(Praising achievement may harm motivation. If a student runs into difficulties, they may assume they’ve reached the limit of their intelligence and give up - Dweck. But if you praise effort it’s more likely that students will continue to keep trying).

28

The ‘Strengths Approach’ to student support - an nine point plan to strengthen ‘social identity’

1. Emphasise the positive during initial contact2. Focus on existing assets & competencies 3. Draw out past successes and high point moments4. Encourage ‘positive affect’ (hope and elevated

thoughts) 5. Identify underlying values, goals & motivation 6. Encourage narration (life story, making sense of it)7. Identify resources, protective factors & potentials of

students8. Validate effort rather than achievement 9. ONLY THEN, if possible, talk about uncertainties, fears,

lack of skills(Boniwell, 2003)

Times Higher Education 2 February 2017

University of Buckingham, UK

WPI – ‘Wise Psychological Interventions’

“…..recent narrative reviews reveal numerous brief, social-psychological interventions, designed to leverage motivational processes that increase student learning outcomes.” Lazowski & Hulleman Review of Educational Research (2013)

‘A mind trick that can break down your brain’s barrier to success’ New Scientist 9 March 2016

New Scientist 9 March 2016

Meta-surveys of Wise Psychological Interventions - in order of effectiveness

1. Transformative experiences 2. Self-determination3. Interest Goal setting 4. Implicit theories of intelligence5. Attribution 6. Self-confrontation 7. Possible selves 8. Multiple theoretical perspectives 9. Expectancy-value 10.Achievement goals 11.Self-affirmation12.Need for achievement 13.Social belongingness14.Self-efficacy 15.Achievement emotions

Lazowski and Hulleman (2015) ‘Motivation Interventions in Education: A Meta-Analytic Review’ - Review of Educational Research

32

Anderson - Proactive Contact “Student self-referral does not work as a mode of promoting persistence. Students who need services the most refer themselves the least. “Effective retention services take the initiative in outreach and timely interventions with those students.’

(Anderson, US)

Summary 1Can we enhance our students’ motivation using Cognitive Psychology?

1. Epistemological Identity - Ensuring students on right course

2. Achievement Goal Theory - Setting challenging but doable tasks

3. Self Concordance model - Making learning enjoyable - use humour

4. Keller - Being approachable, empathising with student difficulties

5. Hattie, Sweller – Much feedback and worked examples

Summary 2Can we enhance our students’ motivation

using Social and Positive Psychology?1. Dweck - Persuading students of the importance of effort2. Dweck - Praising effort rather than achievement3. Boniwell - Emphasising students’ strengths rather than weaknesses4. Boniwell - Taking a personal interest in students5. Deci and Ryan - Students need someone who cares about them*6. Anderson - Being proactive and intervening

*See Raciti ‘Predicting first year student transfer intentions: Do relationships matter?’http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1441358211000954

Student motivation – the Mother Method

More research needed…

What motivates distance education tutors?

Institutional attitudes?

“The biggest barrier to increasing retention in an institution is the institution itself”- Johnston (Napier Univ. Scotland, 2002)

37

Barriers to increasing retention

Attitudes to student retention 1

The ‘Darwinistas’Students drop out because they're not intelligent

enough, unmotivated or lazy.

“We’re here to weed out the unfit”Entity theorists?

38

Attitudes to student retention 2

The FatalistasStudents dropout for reasons beyond our control

“Students are doomed to pass or fail and there’s not much we can do about it”Entity theorists?

39

Attitudes to student retention 3

The ‘Retentioneer’Students most often dropout because of lack of

proactive support.

“We should help students be as successful as they can be”

Incremental theorists?

40

42

Book‘Supporting Students for Success in Online

and Distance Education’

Routledge 2013 http://tinyurl.com/

supporting-students

Websitewww.ormondsimpson.com

QuizQ1 What was Professor Michael Moore’s theory of distance education?

Q2 What did Professor Edward Anderson think was the most important predictor of student retention?

Q3 What were the four types of motivation according to the Self-Concordance model of motivation?

Q4 What were the three innate needs of Deci and Ryan’s Self Determination Theory?

Q5 What did the letters ARCS in Keller’s ARCS Theory stand for?

Q6 What did Hattie think was the most significant retention effect?

Q7 What were Dweck’s two ways that people thought about their intelligence?

Q8 Who initiated Positive Psychology?

Q9 What did Veronique Johnston think was the biggest barrier to increasing retention in an institution?

Q10 What did I suggest were the three attitudes teachers can display to students?

Answers to Quiz

Q1 The ‘Theory of Transactional Distance’

Q2 Motivation

Q3 Extrinsic Introjected Identified Intrinsic

Q4 C = Competence A = Autonomy R = Relatedness

Q5 Attention Relevance Confidence Satisfaction

‘Q6 Self-reporting’ - Students should know how well they’re doing

Q7 Entity theorists - believe their intelligence is fixed

Incremental theorists - believe their intelligence is malleable

Q8 Martin Seligman

Q9 The institution itself

Q10 Darwinistas Fatalistas Retentioneers

text messaging

WhatsApp

Yik Yak

Snapchat

phone

email

postcard

Media options!?

Facebook

Twitter