Motivation in higher education is the area of special concern for many researchers. Müller and Palekčić focus on the continuity of motivation in the context of higher education. The researchers explore the way autonomy, competence and social relatedness affect motivation during a specific time span. It is found that the overall degree of motivation does not change significantly, but the influence of autonomy and competence deteriorate while social connectedness becomes a leading factor affecting motivation (Müller and Palekčić 31).
The research in question is a quantitative study. 104 students took part in the survey aimed at identifying their motivation and its change throughout three years of their study. The dependent variable was the motivation, and the independent variables were the three time points at which the data were collected (Müller and Palekčić 34).
Notably, literature review provides the necessary context and aligns the research with other studies in the field. The researchers also provided the information on the gaps in the existing research. At that, it would play the same role if the research was based on qualitative or quantitative method.
The present research is based on the self-determination theory (SDT) developed by Deci and Ryan. The researchers employ the concepts of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation (Müller and Palekčić 32). The theory was the foundation of the study as the researchers traced the way both types of motivation changed throughout their studies.
The researchers focus on quantitative data, and the theory was used to identify major aspects of motivation. If the researchers chose another design, they would focus on attitudes of students and reasons for the motivation change rather than identification of the trend.
Research Questions
It is necessary to note that social interactions have proved to be an important constituent part of students’ motivation in higher education (Jones 272). This element can be associated with both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation (Holder 245; Savage, Birch and Noussi 40). It has been acknowledged that academic engagement enhances if social integration is involved (Nukpe 13).
Such forms of connectedness as socializing, peer assessment and counselling are especially valuable (Topping 631). At that, proper relations with the faculty also plays an important role in the construction of motivation. Importantly, it has been found that the level of social relatedness remains stable throughout students’ studies (Müller and Palekčić 31).
The purpose of this research is to identify the role of social relatedness for motivation in higher education as seen by students.
Therefore, the research question for the qualitative study can be formulated as follows: How important is social relatedness for undergraduate students of different higher educational establishments?
The sub-questions of the present research are as follows:
What are students’ ideas on their relations with peers as well as educators?
Do students think these relations have an impact on their academic performance?
Why or why not do these relations influence students’ academic performance as seen by students?
To what extent has the degree of students’ social relatedness changed throughout their studies?
Why have these changes (if any) taken place as seen by students?
What motivates students as regard social links as seen by students?
Methodology
The present research will be based on the case study design. The research procedure employed will be long interviews. The participants of the studies will be undergraduate students of three different colleges. These will be local higher educational establishments. Two male and two female students from each college will be interviewed.
This will increase the validity of the data obtained. The samples will be randomly chosen among undergraduate students with the academic score higher than 70%. The age of students will be 20-23 years old. It is noteworthy that students living on campus, as well as students living outside, will be interviewed. This will unveil the difference (if any) between social relatedness in students who spend most of their time on campus and those who are not fully integrated (live at home).
The interviews will be held in the college territory to help students feel comfortable. The interviews will be tape-recorded. The students will answer a variety of open-ended questions aimed at eliciting their attitudes towards and ideas on the role of social relatedness in their academic life. The researcher will encourage students to reflect on their performance provided social contacts were excluded from their academic life.
The special attention will be paid to existing contacts of the participants. Thus, the researchers will identify the degree of students’ relatedness and the number of their social links within their academic environment. Students ideas on motivation will also be analyzed. Thus, students will contemplate on factors motivating them to study harder. The questions will be developed prior to the research, but the researcher will be able to ask additional questions based on the participants’ responses.
The primary data analysis procedure will be coding. To ensure the validity of the data, member checks will be utilized. Confidentiality and anonymity will be ensured, and written consent will be obtained from the students.
Works Cited
Holder, Bruce. “An Investigation of Hope, Academics, Environment, and Motivation as Predictors of Persistence in Higher Education Online Programs.” Internet and Higher Education 10.1 (2007): 245-260. Print.
Jones, Brett D. “Motivating Students to Engage in Learning: The MUSIC Model of Academic Motivation.” International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education 21.2 (2009): 272-285. Print.
Müller, Florian H. and Marko Palekčić. “Continuity of Motivation in Higher Education: A Three-Year Follow-Up Study.” Review of Psychology 12.1 (2005): 31-43. Print.
Nukpe, Philip. “Motivation: Theory and Use in Higher Education.” Investigations in University Teaching and Learning 8.1 (2012): 11-17. Print.
Savage, Nick, Roy Birch and Eleni Noussi. ” Motivation of Engineering Students in Higher Education.” Engineering Education 6.2 (2011): 39-46. Print.
Topping, Keith J. “Trends in Peer Learning.” Educational Psychology 25.6 (2005): 631-645. Print.