The Effects of an Experiential Approach to Learning on Student Motivation

Abstract

Student motivation is often an overlooked product of classroom instruction. Researchers have repeatedly called for broader measures to adequately assess and understand the effects of various instructional methods. This study sought to determine the effects of an experiential approach to learning on student motivation, as defined by Keller's (1987) ARCS model. Three research questions were established, and it was concluded that, (a) the type of instruction does not impact student motivation, (b) broad performance measures are not related to student motivation, and (c) learning style is related to student motivation. It was recommended that teachers vary their instruction to meet all learning styles, be purposeful in designing instruction as guided by Keller's (1987) process questions to embed motivation, be aware of preferred teaching roles to be mindful of meeting all learning modes, and include motivation as an educational outcome.

The Motivational Changes Pre-Service Agricultural Education Teachers Endure while Facilitating Quality Supervised Agricultural Experiences: A Six-Week Project-Based Learning Experience

“…Recently, the construct of motivation appears to have been operationalized as a quantitative variable in the agricultural education literature (Baker et al, 2015;Chumbley, Haynes, & Stofer, 2015;Roberts, Terry, Brown, & Ramsey, 2016). However, by approaching this study from the qualitative paradigm, this study's findings hold important implications for agricultural education in regard to future research, theory, and practice.…”

“…First, existing research in agricultural education largely attempts to measure students' changes in motivation using pre-determined outcomes through treatments that are both short-term and novel in design (Baker et al, 2015;Chumbley et al, 2015;. However, by using an emergent design that was more longitudinal in nature, this study's findings illuminated three existing motivational processes while also providing empirical evidence of a theorized, sequential relationship among them.…”

“…Motivation can be impacted by the types of experiences students have (Baker, Robinson, & Terry, 2015). Kolb (1984) recognized the need for establishing concrete learning experiences in which students reflect, draw conclusions, and then retry their new ideas for experiencing a novel situation.…”

Career development events as a predictor of fall-to-fall retention of first-year college students

“…Also, CDEs require participants to reflect, think, feel and do in an experiential learning context Ewing, Clark, & Threeton, 2014). Research by indicates that participation in CDEs improves self-motivation and substantiates findings by Baker and Robinson (2017) that experiential learning positively impacts student motivation. Rather than using a teacher-centered instructional approach, CDEs provide experiential learning opportunities that allow students to gain knowledge.…”

“…With the experiential focus of secondary agricultural education, a wide array of literature exists regarding the application of Kolb's Experiential Learning Theory (1984 to agricultural education (Baker & Robinson, 2017;Cano, 2005;Clark, Threeton, & Ewing, 2010;Ewing et al, 2014;Roberts, 2006) Research by and show that CDEs improve student's knowledge and career preparation. The application of Kolb's Experiential…”