Page 175 - Štremfel, Urška, and Maša Vidmar (eds.). 2018. Early School Leaving: Training Perspectives. Ljubljana: Pedagoški inštitut.
P. 175
non-for mal motivational focuses for potential ear ly school leavers
different cross-sectional studies (e.g. Alivernini & Lucidi, 2011; Eccles et al.,
1993; Patrick, Skinner, & Connell, 1993; Peguero & Shaffer, 2015). Students
who were most detached from school had little belief in their academic
ability and perceived themselves as non-autonomous in educational set-
tings. On the contrary, students who perceived themselves as more auton-
omous pursued more ambitious challenges and reported greater commit-
ment to finishing school.
Another important aspect of ESLers’ motivation is the broader so-
cial context of learning. Different studies (e.g. Deci & Ryan, 1991; Hardre
& Reeve, 2003; Reeve, 2002; Shahar, Henrich, Blatt, Ryan, & Little, 2003)
show that academic attitudes and behaviours are strongly influenced by
key social agents in the student’s environment, i.e. teachers, parents and
friends. In their longitudinal study, Hardre and Reeves (2003) established
there are three dimensions of social support that affect motivation: autono-
my support, competence support and interpersonal relatedness. Results re-
vealed that all dimensions of social support are negatively related to amoti-
vation and positively related to intrinsic motivation for learning.
Cross-sectional studies (e.g. Alivernini & Lucidi, 2011; Reeve et al.,
1999; Vallerand et al., 1997) also support these findings. Students who per-
ceived their social support networks (e.g., parents and teachers) as sup-
portive in the sense of their autonomy and competence were also more
intrinsically motivated for school work. Authors (e.g. Assor, Kaplan, Kanat-
Maymon, & Roth, 2005; Reeve, 2002) who studied the effects of the teach-
er’s controlling behaviour on a student’s self-determination showed that
teachers who exhibit controlling behaviour in the form of rigid directions
or orders, supervising and monitoring too closely, and not giving students
the opportunity to propose choices and opinions, affect a student’s self-de-
termination in a negative way. Moreover, practices such as letting students
choose from various alternatives, listening to them, and asking them for
their points of view support a student’s self-determination. Further, sup-
portive relationships also proved to be an important predictor of ESL (e.g.
Alivernini & Lucidi, 2011). Students who reported to be in a classroom with
autonomy-supportive teachers were more likely to stay in school than stu-
dents in classrooms with controlling teachers.
The amotivation of ESLers is therefore a complex concept that reach-
es beyond an individual’s characteristics and academic achievement and is
closely linked to his/her social environment, interpersonal climate in the
educational setting and teaching methods; namely, factors that can to some
175
different cross-sectional studies (e.g. Alivernini & Lucidi, 2011; Eccles et al.,
1993; Patrick, Skinner, & Connell, 1993; Peguero & Shaffer, 2015). Students
who were most detached from school had little belief in their academic
ability and perceived themselves as non-autonomous in educational set-
tings. On the contrary, students who perceived themselves as more auton-
omous pursued more ambitious challenges and reported greater commit-
ment to finishing school.
Another important aspect of ESLers’ motivation is the broader so-
cial context of learning. Different studies (e.g. Deci & Ryan, 1991; Hardre
& Reeve, 2003; Reeve, 2002; Shahar, Henrich, Blatt, Ryan, & Little, 2003)
show that academic attitudes and behaviours are strongly influenced by
key social agents in the student’s environment, i.e. teachers, parents and
friends. In their longitudinal study, Hardre and Reeves (2003) established
there are three dimensions of social support that affect motivation: autono-
my support, competence support and interpersonal relatedness. Results re-
vealed that all dimensions of social support are negatively related to amoti-
vation and positively related to intrinsic motivation for learning.
Cross-sectional studies (e.g. Alivernini & Lucidi, 2011; Reeve et al.,
1999; Vallerand et al., 1997) also support these findings. Students who per-
ceived their social support networks (e.g., parents and teachers) as sup-
portive in the sense of their autonomy and competence were also more
intrinsically motivated for school work. Authors (e.g. Assor, Kaplan, Kanat-
Maymon, & Roth, 2005; Reeve, 2002) who studied the effects of the teach-
er’s controlling behaviour on a student’s self-determination showed that
teachers who exhibit controlling behaviour in the form of rigid directions
or orders, supervising and monitoring too closely, and not giving students
the opportunity to propose choices and opinions, affect a student’s self-de-
termination in a negative way. Moreover, practices such as letting students
choose from various alternatives, listening to them, and asking them for
their points of view support a student’s self-determination. Further, sup-
portive relationships also proved to be an important predictor of ESL (e.g.
Alivernini & Lucidi, 2011). Students who reported to be in a classroom with
autonomy-supportive teachers were more likely to stay in school than stu-
dents in classrooms with controlling teachers.
The amotivation of ESLers is therefore a complex concept that reach-
es beyond an individual’s characteristics and academic achievement and is
closely linked to his/her social environment, interpersonal climate in the
educational setting and teaching methods; namely, factors that can to some
175
