Effective motivational strategies in pre-service teachers

Abstract

This article presents results from a study conducted in Chile whose objective was to test the hypothesis that most pre-service teachers in their last year’s training tend mainly to conceive the effective motivational strategies based on the logic of amusement rather than from others more directly related to accomplishing the task or the motivation for learning. Secondly, to characterize the perceived motivational strategies as possible and effective, grouping them according to their focus on learning-oriented strategies, accomplishing the task, and amusement. The study involved 306 male/female students of Chilean pedagogy, from different universities in the Region of Araucanía who are in their final year of professional studies. The results confirm hypothesis showing the pre-eminence of a conception of school motivation organized around the idea of entertainment. Moreover, it shows that this logic of amusement, in many cases, makes invisible a conception of school motivation focused on behalf of the desire to learn. Finally, we discuss the implications of these findings to improve teacher training and to make motivation effective in the classroom where the aspects related to the amusement and accomplishing the task are taken into account, but where the motivation to arouse the desire to learn prevails.

School motivation; Motivational strategies; Pre-service teachers; Effectiveness; Representations