Exam 13: Motivation, Teaching, and Learning

Identify and define the three dimensions of causal attributions proposed by Bernard Weiner, and diagnose the following statement along each of these dimensions. A student says, "I'm so disappointed that I failed that test. The test was too hard. The teacher shouldn't have written such difficult questions. I guess I'll never pass this course because there is nothing that I can do to convince the teacher to write simpler test items."

In which of the following scenarios is Emily, a low-ability student, most likely to experience success?

Give an example of what "self-actualizers" would be like. For example, how might they behave? What would their interests be like?

A recent study of African American middle school students shows that the experiences of everyday racial discrimination at school from teachers and peers are linked to declines in grades and academic task values. Examine how teachers can work to reduce bias and discrimination in the classroom so that success is possible for all students.

In the interest of enhancing student motivation, it is important for teachers to show students that they care about them. How would you go about demonstrating a caring attitude in the classroom?

For many students, anxiety decreases across the school years.

How might a teacher utilize students' need for affiliation in order to promote motivation?

Researchers have found that intrinsic motivation decreases as students move from the early elementary years to the high school years.

All of the following strategies are likely to help students achieve flow, except which one?

How can teachers promote intrinsic motivation?

Building the teacher-student relationship seems an important strategy to reaching students set on avoiding failure as well as for reaching uninterested or alienated students. How can teachers nurture this relationship with students?

Define "competence motivation."

Highly educated parents are likely to believe that their involvement in their children's education is important.

"Flow" (as described by Csikszentmihalyi) is most likely to occur in areas where students are challenged and perceive themselves as having a low degree of skill.

Failure syndrome refers to which of the following descriptions?

Achievement problems can arise when students have low expectations for success, try to protect their self-worth by avoiding failure, procrastinate, have overwhelming anxiety, or become uninterested or alienated from school.

Extrinsic motivation involves the internal motivation to do something for its own sake.

Give an example of students' behavior if they are in the "love and belonging" level of Maslow's hierarchy.

Teachers are attending the first faculty meeting of the school year in order to discuss strategies to enhance student motivation. Mr. Daniels states that there should be a way to build students' needs into the classroom. What motivational perspective does Mr. Daniel subscribe to?

In order to avoid failure, some students simply do not try. What is the name of this protective strategy?