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A Look at Research Regarding Learner Motivation in Instructional Design

Introduction:

It is crucial to understand the role of motivation in an educational setting and its importance considering that motivational principles guide design for instructional materials and strategies. Below is an overview of research that takes motivational theories in order to propose a framework for integrating motivation into instructional design elements for creating a more engaging and effective learning experience. This research was published in 2009, so please keep in mind that education has drastically changed in the past 14 years. Technology has changed education since then, and although a learner’ motivation may have changed as well, motivating learners has not.

Research Explained:

The research conducted by Cheng and Yeh in 2009 explores the relationship between motivation and instructional design, highlighting the importance of motivation when designing instructional materials and strategies for effective learning. “The aim of this

paper is to facilitate a deeper understanding of motivation and to inform professionals

about its importance in learning”, (Cheng & Yeh, 2009). The authors of this research argue that motivation plays an integral role in the influence of learner engagement and achievement in educational settings through the review of theory and concepts, such as self-determination theory, expectancy-value theory, and social cognitive theory for providing an understanding of motivation.

By emphasizing the need for instructional designers to incorporate motivational principles into their design process, this research suggests that instructional design should take factors such as learner goals, interests, beliefs, and autonomy into account for motivation enhancements. Chen and Yeh propose a framework that originated in 1979, the ARCS model, that integrates motivational principles with instructional design elements, offering guidelines for designing motivating learning experiences. Chen and Yeh (2009) contend this model delineates how to understand the motivation to learn in terms of four conditions: attention, relevance, confidence and satisfaction.

By highlighting the significance of motivation within instructional design, Chen and Yeh provide insight into how instructional designers can apply motivational theory and concepts for the creation of effective and engaging learning experiences by offering a framework that bridges the gap between motivation research and instructional design practices to encourage a designers consideration of motivation as a foundational aspect of the design process.

What I would like to see in future research based upon motivations is technology usage within instructional design for increased motivations by exploring gamification, multimedia, and interactive elements to create engagement and motivation in the learning environment. I believe technology integration in these forms will allow for increased internal motivations based on learner interest and participation. “When a person is intrinsically motivated, he or she does not rely on extrinsic incentives; instead, he or she relies on the pleasure, interest, enjoyment and

competence obtained from participating in activities”, (Reeve, 2005).

References

Cheng, Y.-C., & Yeh, H.-T. (2009). From concepts of motivation to its application in instructional design: Reconsidering motivation from an instructional design perspective. British Journal of Educational Technology, 40(4), 597–605. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8535.2008.00857.x

Reeve, J. (2005). Understanding motivation and emotion (4th ed.). New York: John Wiley & Sons.