ERIC Number: EJ789327
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2008-Apr
Pages: 15
Abstractor: Author
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0361-476X
EISSN: N/A
Motivational Interference in Learning: The Impact of Leisure Alternatives on Subsequent Self-Regulation
Fries, Stefan; Dietz, Franziska; Schmid, Sebastian
Contemporary Educational Psychology, v33 n2 p119-133 Apr 2008
Students are often obliged to fulfill home assignments for school. While being engaged into such compulsory schooling, learners may be tempted to switch to a leisure alternative. Whenever students pursue the learning task although attractive leisure alternatives are present, thoughts about the missed activity can lead to motivational interference. Thus, self-regulation in learning does not only depend on the learning task itself but also on the dismissed alternatives. In a questionnaire study 704 students (mean age: 13.5) were confronted with hypothetical conflicts between a school activity and a leisure activity. The students envisioned themselves in the course of both activities after the decision. As predicted, self-reported self-regulation depended on the valences of both activities. High valence of the performed activity was related to better self-regulation, whereas high valence of the alternative activity resulted in worse self-regulation.
Descriptors: Learning Motivation, Student Motivation, Recreational Activities, Questionnaires, Independent Study, Self Management, Student Attitudes, Homework
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A