When students experience flow (states of deep concentration and enjoyment) while carrying out academic tasks, they become more motivated to study the subject and they attain higher achievement. Flow experienced by 230 pre-service primary education teachers attending a course about teaching and learning measurement at primary school was explored in this study. A questionnaire was distributed at the end of each of the five practical sessions in which students solved measurement tasks. The lowest percentage of students in flow was found while they were engaged in problem-solving tasks. A video analysis of group work provided some possible explanations. Keywords Flow experiences • Pre-service teachers • Problem solving • Tasks 13.1 Introduction Over recent decades the importance of motivation, beliefs, and emotions in learning has been highlighted (DeBellis & Goldin, 2006; Middleton, 2013; Schunk & Mullen, 2012). Motivation, according to Kanfer (1994), is the force or impulse that drives individuals to perform an activity, regulating its direction and intensity. When the reasons, or motivation, for an action are external to it, such as obtaining a reward or avoiding punishment, this type of behaviour ceases when the stimulus or the deterrent is removed. In contrast, if someone chooses to do an activity because they find it interesting, enjoyable and satisfying, their attention is focused on it and their motivation is permanent. In fact, this kind of motivation, intrinsic motivation, is the most intense and sustained action (Deci & Ryan, 1985).
Cuando un estudiante experimenta flujo en una tarea (está plenamente concentrado y disfrutando al realizarla), aumenta su rendimiento y el deseo por continuar realizando tareas similares. Esta investigación explora qué factores favorecen o dificultan la aparición de experiencias de flujo, en estudiantes universitarios del grado en educación primaria, al trabajar en grupos de cuatro o cinco estudiantes. Para ello, se compara el comportamiento de dos grupos de estudiantes al resolver dos tareas matemáticas. Los resultados muestran la importancia de establecer metas claras, proporcionar retroalimentación inmediata y que el estudiante confíe en su capacidad para superar la tarea. Exploring which aspects facilitate motivation towards mathematics. A case study with pre-service primary school teachers When students experience flow doing a task (they are deeply focused on the task and enjoying it), their performance and their engagement with similar tasks increase. This research explores which aspects fa-cilitate or block the flow experience with regard to pre-service primary school teachers while working in groups of four or five students. For this purpose, the researchers compare the behavior of two groups of students solving two mathematical tasks. The results show the im-portance of setting clear goals, providing immediate feedback and stu-dents trust their ability to accomplish the task.Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10481/41648WOS-ESCI
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