Learning About Your Motivation, Attitudes,

and Interests

Effective College Learning Jodi Patrick Holschuh * Sherrie L. Nist

What motivates people to learn? How do you get and stay motivated? How do attitudes and interests

influence learning? How can you develop interest, even

for topics you dislike? How can you maintain a positive

attitude?

Motivation is a complicated phenomenon:

motivation is something that drives you from within…

or something encouraged by a professor…

or something that depends on what you are learning…

or something that depends on the time of year or the weather.

Motivation is situational –

Your motivation changes over the course of a class period…

Or with changes in topic in a lecture or discussion.

Students who have more motivation and a positive attitude are more likely to succeed than those who do not.

Think of motivation as “academic energy” –

the more energy you have, the greater your success!

Motivation is influenced by four

factors:

•choice

•desire for learning

•value of learning

•personal control

1. The more choice you have about what you learn increases your motivation.

• For example, it is easier to stay motivated in courses in which you have some choice over what projects are assigned or what topics are covered.

• Remember, you get to choose your major, and to some extent the courses you take.

2. Your desire to learn a particular topic of interest to you can increase your motivation.

• You may have to take certain core courses that you don’t immediately find interesting.

• Try to balance your schedule with both courses you have to take and courses you want to take.

3. The more you believe the subject to be of value to you, the easier it will be to become motivated to learn about it.

• For example, if you think learning a foreign language will be valuable to you in some way, then you will be more motivated to succeed in a foreign language class.

4. It is easier to stay motivated when a course provides you with the optimum amount of challenge.

• Optimum challenge is where the course is not too difficult, but not too easy – the situation where you will experience the greatest sense of accomplishment when you succeed.

No matter where you are or what you are doing, you are always motivated to do something.

You are responsible for your own motivation – no one can motivate you but you!

We experience motivation in two ways:

Intrinsic motivation

Extrinsic motivation

Intrinsic motivation occurs when we perceive the activity as its own reward.

For example, pursuing a hobby because we find it enjoyable.

Extrinsic motivation occurs when our incentive is a reward of some sort.

For example, performing a task for praise or money.

In addition, it is often a good idea to make your goals public.

• In other words, share them with others — those you believe will encourage you to stay the course and may even help you achieve your goals.

• The fact that others know your goals holds you more accountable for achieving them.

1. Monitor your motivation for learning just as you monitor your comprehension when you read.

• Listen to your body clock to find out when you are most motivated (morning, afternoon, evening) and plan your study sessions around those times.

• Pay attention to how you feel psychologically and physically when you begin to lose motivation and deal with it proactively.

2. Study the subjects you find the most difficult, or are least motivated to learn, first. Then move to the subjects that are easier, or those that you enjoy more.

• This will help you to stay motivated to study the subjects you find the most interesting.

3. Plan some short breaks in your study time – 10 to 15 minutes for each hour.

• When you attempt to study for longer periods you may find it difficult to maintain your motivation.

Take a break and come back to what you were doing at a later time.

Switch topics every hour or so.

Work with a study group.

Plan to study in the library or another quiet place if you find that your social life is interfering with studying.

Use the best/worst case scenario technique: imagine what will happen and how you will feel if you get your work done vs. not getting it done.

Stand up and stretch for about 30 seconds to regain your concentration.

Remember that it is natural for motivation to decrease as the term wears on. Set new goals to get back on track.

Figure out all of the tasks that you need to complete in your courses and focus on the ones that motivate you.

Above all, if you think your loss of

motivation is caused by a bigger

problem, reflect on your situation and

take action to address the problem!

Like motivation, attitudes and interests are situational.

• Ex. You may have a positive attitude toward class presentations, but not working in group projects.

• Ex. You may have an interest in math, but not in history.

Attitudes and interests are part of your personality and help define who you are as a learner…

thus they are a bit more difficult to change than basic study habits!

Attitudes are emotional reactions to specific situations.

Attitudes are reflexive: you experience them without even thinking about it.

• Ex. You may experience a negative attitude towards an unexpected assignment.

Attitude tends to match your motivation – if you have a bad attitude towards a course topic, you will likely have less motivation to study that topic.

• Ex. If you have a poor attitude toward a foreign language, you may have less motivation to participate in class, or practice vocabulary, etc.

1. Attitude Toward College.

• Your general attitude about being in college and your expectations of what college experience will be like strongly influences your attitude and in turn influences your academic performance.

Ex. You may feel overwhelmed by attending a large university after being used to a small high school where you received a lot of personal attention.

2. Attitude Toward Your Instructors.

• If you feel intimidated by an instructor or dislike the topic he or she teaches, you may develop a bad attitude toward the course.

• Try to get to know your professors and don’t feel intimidated about talking with them.

3. Attitude Toward the Subject and Learning Environment.

• Most students have a more negative attitude toward subjects in which they are not interested and less motivated.

• Try to begin each course with an open mind – you may broaden your interests!

4. Attitude Toward Yourself as a Learner.

Students who have been encouraged as learners tend to have positive attitudes about their abilities, whereas…

Students who have had only moderate success or not much support from family or teachers tend to have negative attitudes about themselves.

Evaluate what it is you like about college and focus on what excites you and makes you feel positive.

Don’t allow things outside of your control to get you down.

• Ex. Not getting into the course you wanted, wading through “red tape,” etc.

Avoid dwelling on past mistakes.

• Ex. Rather than telling yourself “I’m a terrible writer” say “I’m a good learner in general, so writing should not be impossible. I can get help.”

Enter each course with the attitude that you will do your best.

Expect to learn something valuable in every course you take.

• If you tell yourself that parts of a course might be interesting and valuable, both your attitude and your motivation will be better.

• Think how you might use some of the information or how it might be related to other areas that do interest you.

Attitudes and interests go hand-in-hand.

Many new college students lack interest in a wide variety of areas, but…

…they can broaden their interests by developing new ones!

There are also students who enter college with no overriding interest in any one particular area.

These students can develop interests by taking their courses seriously and giving them a chance.

Create study groups – particularly with students that already take an interest in the material you are studying!

Don’t save up all the “boring” courses until the end of your college career. Balance your course load between the more interesting and the less interesting courses.

For those less interesting courses, try to select an instructor who might spark your interest in the subject!