Innovative learning and developments in motivation and achievement in upper primary school

Abstract

Although previous research has shown the potential of innovative learning for enhancing motivation and learning outcomes, further understanding is needed on which aspects of IL are most effective and whether these are equally motivating for different types of students. The present study investigated how developments in students’ motivation and achievement related to different aspects of innovative learning (i.e. authentic learning, collaborative learning and focusing on self-regulation), and whether these relations varied by students’ background characteristics. A sample of 722 grade five students from the Netherlands (average age 11 years old) and their teachers completed questionnaires during four measurements from grade five to grade six. Autoregression analyses were performed. Results showed both positive and negative relations between IL and developments in students’ motivation and achievement, indicating that IL is not a unidimensional construct. Furthermore, the effectiveness of different aspects of IL depended on students’ gender, and social and ethnic background characteristics.

Keywords:

• innovative learning
• motivation
• achievement
• gender
• socio-economic and ethnic background

Acknowledgement

This research was supported by a grant from the National Scientific Organization of the Netherlands (NWO).

Notes

1. To ensure that the significant relations we found were not just attributable to chance, we examined this by reanalysing our models and correcting for the measurement errors of the variables. Similar, but stronger relations between IL and the outcome variables were obtained. We also explored alternative longitudinal techniques and again obtained similar results.