Integrating Motivation and Instruction: Towards a Unified Approach in Educational Psychology

Abstract

Motivation and instruction are two major substantive domains in educational psychology. Theory and research relevant to each of these domains tend to be diffuse and fragmented. This presents challenges for scholars and practitioners seeking to implement parsimonious and cohesive approaches to help students to learn. This review articulates a two-step integration process that is an illustrative effort towards tackling these challenges and unifying two psycho-educational domains: intra-domain integration (within each of motivation and instruction) and inter-domain integration (between motivation and instruction). With respect to motivation, the Motivation and Engagement Wheel (Martin, 2007) is presented as an example of intra-domain integration of key facets of motivation (Step 1a). With respect to instruction, Load Reduction Instruction (LRI; Martin, 2016; Martin & Evans, 2018) is an example of intra-domain integration of explicit instruction and guided independent learning (Step 1b). The review then proposes an inter-domain integration of motivation and instruction (Step 2), arguing that each domain is tied to the other. The joint operation of intra- and inter-domain integration of motivation and instruction holds potential for more coherent theorizing, measurement, and practical application.

Potentials of arts education initiatives for promoting emotional wellbeing of Chinese university students

“…On students' self-e cacy Self-efficacy centers on how well an individual believes to do a task in a particular circumstance. Classically, Martin (2023) discussed SE, which was referred to any individual's belief on the competence to successfully accomplish particular goal and/or influence a desired outcome. While the measurement of SE is broad, this is sometimes specific to a particular activity or within a specific domain.…”

“…On the other hand, young adults with high level of SE tend to approach academic challenges with more confidence and resilience (Martin, 2023 ). They belief in their own capabilities that additionally influence their motivation, learning strategies, and overall academic performances.…”

Breaking down silos in motivation science.

“…King and Fryer (2024) edited a special issue in Educational Psychology Review encouraging theoretical synthesis in research on motivation in education. Furthermore, a few individual scholars have written recent articles with the express purpose of offering a broad theory or model of motivation that is integrative in nature (Dweck, 2017;Fong, 2022;Martin, 2023;Urhahne & Wijnia, 2023). Some readers might ask why it is important to break down silos.…”