Motivation to learn and problem solving

Imagine you had a long series of difficult mathematics problems to solve. You would have to put a lot of effort into solving the tasks and at the end you would be glad when you had done them all. Now you would be told to solve this long, difficult series of tasks plus even a few more math problems. How would you feel after this extended series of tasks: better, worse, or the same as before? The answer that psychologist Cho (2021) gives sounds amazing: You will actually feel better at the end of this extended series if the further mathematics tasks are slightly easier than the previously solved tasks in the long series. This is true whether the easier tasks are added at the beginning or end of the series. Starting or ending on a high note creates a more pleasurable learning experience. This is the core message of his well-thought out study and is intended to get you in the mood for a themed issue on ‘Motivation to learn and problem solving’ in Educational Psychology.

Learning motivation is usually considered to be conducive to problem solving as it influences the initiation, direction, and intensity of cognitive processing (Baars et al., 2017). The motivation to deal with problem-solving tasks can come from the learners themselves or be triggered by task design. In this context, Muenks et al. (2016) differentiated between self-initiated effort, which is due to learners’ own motivation and task-elicited effort, which is due to the subjective difficulty of the task. The prolonged series of mathematics tasks in the entry study (Cho, 2021) is a typical example of task-elicited effort. Individuals were willing to invest more learning time by the type of task design. The addition of slightly easier tasks to the beginning or end of a difficult series of tasks even led to less discomfort with the problem-solving activity. In this issue, you will come to know two other research papers that address this task-related side of motivating problem-solving processes (Cruz Neri et al., 2021; Lafay et al., 2021). In contrast, four other papers will focus on the motivation for learning and problem solving that originates from the individuals themselves (Abulela & Bart, 2020; Callan et al., 2021; Heckel et al., 2021; Mammadov & Hertzog, 2021).

Lafay et al. (2021) investigated whether manipulatives proved helpful in solving word problems in mathematics. The plastic chips to solve the tasks were designed to make learning less abstract and more meaningful to the children. Indeed, third graders were better able to solve addition and subtraction word problems using manipulatives. Fifth graders, on the other hand, were no more likely to benefit from the use of manipulatives. Apparently, they were already better able to understand the mathematical structure of the word problems at an abstract level.

Cruz Neri et al. (2021) addressed the importance of reading components in solving mathematics tasks. Using an adult sample, they examined how four item characteristics affected participants’ mathematics comprehension. Complex verb forms, a high number of prepositions, a high lexical density, and the absence of informative pictures caused a significantly lower maths comprehension. Their results show how important it is to design mathematical tasks in such a way that they can be well understood at the textual level.

Heckel et al. (2021) investigated the relationships among goal orientation, test anxiety, learning efforts, and academic performance. Using a large sample of university students, they were able to show relationships between the variables by the use of structural equation modelling. Motivation in the form of mastery or performance goal orientation was at the beginning of a chain that led to better academic grades via the absence of test anxiety and the presence of learning efforts.

Mammadov and Hertzog (2021) examined changes in achievement goals during an academic summer school for advanced learners. While learning goal orientation remained at a consistently high level, changes in performance goal orientation were evident. Learners did not necessarily want to be better than other participants at the end of the summer school, but above all did not want to be worse. The authors justified the finding with the big-fish-little-pond-effect (Marsh & Parker, 1984). Participants became aware of their own limits due to the presence of other high-achieving learners and try to protect their self-concept by adopting a defensive stance.

Abulela and Bart’s (2020) research addressed the question of whether gender and discipline differences can be found in the different components of an established learning and study strategy questionnaire. To this end, they collected data from undergraduates in the humanities and sciences using an Arabic version of the survey. They found significant differences and interactions between gender and discipline, particularly with regard to anxiety and motivation.

Callan et al. (2021) anchored their study of self-regulated learning in the framework of creative problem-solving. Secondary students were given problems like the following: What should a school nurse do with 1,000 boxes of Band-Aids that she accidently ordered instead of 1,000 individual Band-Aids? Students were asked to generate as many different, original, and helpful solutions to the problems as possible. In addition to strategy use, the motivational component of perceived self-efficacy was the strongest predictor of students’ creative problem-solving.

To conclude these seven excellent and worth reading research articles, we can say that there are two general ways to promote learning and problem solving. First, learners themselves can contribute to better learning outcomes through their motivation, goal orientation, learnings efforts, and self-efficacy. Second, the design of the learning environment can facilitate learning and problem-solving processes by adapting important conditions such as difficulty, language, or learning aids. Educators and instructors should each time consider which is the better way to enable learners to achieve the best of their ability.