EXPLORING CONNECTIONS BETWEEN ASSESSMENT,

MOTIVATION, AND METACOGNITION

Matthew A. Ludwig, NSF Doctoral FellowHeather L. Petcovic, Assistant ProfessorHerb Fynewever, Associate Professor*

This work is supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 0733590. The Michigan Space Grant Consortium, and Western Michigan University. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

Introduction

• So What?

• Assessment, Motivation, and Metacognition

• AfL Operationally?

• A Research Project

• Conclusions

http://coe.sdsu.edu/eet/Articles/metacognition/student17.jpg

So What?0) Students are always … uhh… ?metacognificating?

• Assessment Student Motivation Metacognition Learning

• AfL Motivation Learning

• Be patient grasshoppa!

• Find a Giant

http://www.usask.ca/education/coursework/802papers/Adkins/TWOFROGS.GIF

So What?0) Students are always … uhh… ?metacognificating?

• Assessment Student Motivation Metacognition Learning

• AfL Motivation Learning

• Be patient grasshoppa!

• Find a Giant

Assessment for Learning and Self-Regulated Learning

(from Butler & Winne 1995 used with permission from SAGE publications)

Assessment for Learning and Self-Regulated Learning

(from Butler & Winne 1995 used with permission from SAGE publications)

Start

Assessment for Learning and Self-Regulated Learning

(from Butler & Winne 1995 used with permission from SAGE publications)

Assessment for Learning and Self-Regulated Learning

(from Butler & Winne 1995 used with permission from SAGE publications)

Assessment for Learning and Self-Regulated Learning

(from Butler & Winne 1995 used with permission from SAGE publications)

Assessment for Learning and Self-Regulated Learning

(from Butler & Winne 1995 used with permission from SAGE publications)

Assessment for Learning and Self-Regulated Learning

(from Butler & Winne 1995 used with permission from SAGE publications)

What is Assessment for Learning?

(Black and Wiliam, 2009)

A Research StudyPurpose:

To explore the connections between

assessment and engagement in pre-service elementary

education students and their instructor.

Driving Question:

Can student motivation be improved via assessment reform?

Methodology• Research Subjects

(n=~75/semester)– The students and the

instructor in an intro-level earth systems science course for pre-service elementary teachers at a regional, mid-western, public, research university

• Design– Non-equivalent pretest

posttest design• Instrumentation

– Student Surveys (SCEQ, KS)

– Semi-structured Interviews (students and instructor)

– Classroom Observations (MATO, VFO)

Image used with permission from artist Sara Beise & Time for Kids

Knowledge Survey Results

KS Items (1 – 148)

S

tude

nts

I have no clue

This is familiar

I know the answer

What students should know

Section dividers

Oops!

a.m.p.m.eve.

(Nuhfer, 1996)(Wirth & Perkins, 2006)

Knowledge Survey Results

KS Items (1 – 148)

S

tude

nts

I have no clue

This is familiar

I know the answer

What students should know

Section dividers

GREEN IS GOOD!GREEN IS GOOD!Oops!

a.m.p.m.eve.

Knowledge Survey Results

Day 1

Knowledge Survey Results

Day 1

Half-way through Unit 1

Knowledge Survey Results

Day 1

Half-way through Unit 1

Pre-exam #1

Knowledge Survey Results

Day 1

Half-way through Unit 1

Pre-exam #1

✓End of Semester✓

Student Classroom Engagement Questionnaire

• 23 Likert-type items

1 = not at all characteristic of me 5 = very characteristic of me

Maladaptive behaviors/beliefes Adaptive behaviors/beliefs

• 4 sub-scales (from exploratory factor analysis)– Performance (3 items, α=0.8421)– Emotional (5 items, α=0.8781) – Participation/Interaction (6 items, α=0.8174)– Skills (9 items, α=0.9168)

(Handelsman et al, 2005)

Example SCEQ subscale Items• Skills engagement subscale

– 9. ____ Taking good notes in class– 23. ____ Listening carefully in class

• Emotional engagement subscale– 7. _____ Thinking about the course between class meetings– 21. ____ Finding ways to make the course material relevant to my life

• Participation/Interaction engagement subscale– 2. _____ Participating actively in small group discussions– 3. _____ Asking questions when I don’t understand the instructor

• Performance engagement subscale– 15. _____ Getting a good grade– 16. _____ Doing well on the tests

SCEQ Results

n=147

First, the Good News

SCEQ Results

Perf.P & IEmotionalSkills

PrePost

The Other news

SCEQ Results

Spring 08 (n=20) Fall 08 (n=63) Spring 09 (n=56)

PRE

POST

SCEQ Results

Control Groups Treatment Group

Conclusions• Generally Students’ value KS’s• The instructor was responsive to (and surprised by) gaps in

the KS’s• Students report moderately high engagement• Over the short term Student Engagement appears to be

more trait-like than state-like

Future Work• Expand the timeframe • Explore other correlations (achievement…)• Compare with other surveys (SMQ, MSLQ, PALS, etc…?)• Explore connections between SCEQ and Overt Engagement

So What?0) Students are always … uhh… ?metacognificating?

• Assessment Student Motivation Metacognition Learning

• AfL Motivation Learning

• Be patient grasshoppa!

• Find a Giant