Motivation Science: Controversies and Insights

When, why, and how are people motivated? This is the essential question that motivation science has sought to address since the field's inception, and yet motivation scientists have offered many contrasting and even conflicting perspectives that have stalled key conversations in the research. This volume captures the nature of these critical debates, while also moving the field towards greater coherence by bringing differing perspectives from experts together in one volume. Posing 10 fundamental questions to 57 prominent motivation researchers around the globe, Motivation Science: Controversies and Insights covers topics such as the nature of motivation, cultural differences in motivational processes, evidence-based strategies to enhance motivation, and predictions for the future of the field.

Edited by three leaders in motivation science, this volume provides readers with a rare opportunity to see how different theorists and researchers recognize, evaluate, and prescribe solutions to the same motivation problem. By sharing current thinking and providing innovative insights into the important questions and controversies in the study of motivation, the book brings together cutting-edge theory and research that readers can use to generate fresh and effective applications and interventions.

ISBN-13: 9780197662359

Media Type: Hardcover

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Publication Date: 01-24-2023

Pages: 568

Product Dimensions: 9.98(w) x 7.33(h) x 1.57(d)

Dr. Mimi Bong is a Professor of Educational Psychology and the Director of the Brain and Motivation Research Institute at Korea University. For the past 27 years, she has been studying the achievement motivation of children and adolescents, focusing on the role of self-efficacy beliefs, value perceptions, and achievement goals in student motivation and self-regulation. Bong is the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Experimental Education and has served or currently serves on the editorial boards of numerous journals, including American Educational Research Journal, Child Development, Contemporary Educational Psychology, Educational Psychologist, Educational Psychology Review, Educational Researcher, Journal of Educational Psychology, and Learning and Instruction. Dr. Johnmarshall Reeve is a Professor in the Institute for Psychology and Education at the Australian Catholic University in Sydney, Australia. His research focuses on all aspects of human motivation and emotion, but mostly on autonomy-supportive teaching, students' agentic engagement, and the neuroscience of intrinsic motivation. He has published 86 articles in peer-reviewed journals such as the Journal of Educational Psychology and authored 4 books, including Understanding Motivation and Emotion and Supporting Students' Motivation. Dr. Sung-il Kim is the Dean of the College of Education and the Graduate School of Education and a Professor of Educational Psychology at Korea University. His research focuses on interest, curiosity, neural bases of motivation, and modeling interest-based learning. He has served as the President of the Korean Educational Psychology Association, the Korean Society for Cognitive Science, and the Korean Mind, Brain, and Education Society, and the Director of the Brain and Motivation Research Institute. He is an Associate Editor of Frontiers in Psychology and serves on the editorial board of Motivation and Emotion.

Table of Contents

Section 1
What Is Motivation?

Question 1: What Is Motivation?

What Is Motivation, Where Does It Come from, and How Does It Work?
Carol S. Dweck, Matthew L. Dixon, and James J. Gross

Energization and Direction Are Both Essential Parts of Motivation
Andrew J. Elliot

What Is Motivation?
Edwin A. Locke

Motivation Processes and Outcomes
Dale H. Schunk

Motivation Is the Interaction Between Dispositions and Context
Deborah Stipek

Motivation Is the State of Wanting Something. But Do We Want the Right Things?
Kennon M. Sheldon

Wanting to Feel Effective in Our Goal Pursuits for Both Outcomes and Process
E. Tory Higgins and Emily Nakkawita

Pleasure, Utility, and Goals: Motivation as a Value-Based Decision-Making Process
Sung-il Kim

Jingle-Jangle Fallacies in Motivation Science: Toward a Definition of Core Motivation
Reinhard Pekrun

Academic Self-Concept: A Central Motivational Construct
Geetanjali Basarkod and Herbert W. Marsh

Motivation Resides Only in Our Language, Not in Our Mental Processes
Kou Murayama

Insights Gained from Controversy #1


Section 2
What Are the Current Controversies in Motivation Science?

Question 2: Are Motivational Processes Universal Across Cultures and Contexts?

Does One Size Fit All? Cultural Perspectives on School Motivation
Dennis M. McInerney

Where Will Michelle Go to College? Culture and Context in the Study of Motivation
Paul A. Schutz

Can We Really Say that Motivational Processes Are Universal Across Cultures and Contexts?
Briana P. Green, DeLeon L. Gray, Elan C. Hope, and Jamaal S. Matthews

Vitamins for Psychological Growth: A Universal Foundation for Motivating Others
Bart Soenens and Maarten Vansteenkiste

Big-Fish-Little-Pond Effect (BFLPE): Universality of Psychological Comparison Processes
Herbert W. Marsh and Geetanjali Basarkod

Insights Gained from Controversy #2


Question 3: Is There Such a Thing as "Good" Motivation and "Bad" Motivation?

Some Motivations Make Us Happier than Others
Kennon M. Sheldon

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of Motivation
Nikos Ntoumanis

Less Is Sometimes More: Differentiating 'Must-ivation' from 'Want-ivation'
Maarten Vansteenkiste and Bart Soenens

Do We Sometimes Surrender Our Good Motivation for Bad? Some Reflections on the Quality of Motivation
Allan Wigfield

Good Versus Bad Motivation? Avoiding the Lure of False Dichotomies
Patricia A. Alexander

Insights Gained from Controversy #3


Question 4: Does Extrinsic Incentive (e.g., Rewards, Competition) Undermine Motivation?

Extrinsic Rewards Undermine Motivation in the Classroom… Sometimes
Eric M. Anderman

Extrinsic Incentives/Rewards - Short-Term Fix that Can Undermine Long-Term Motivation
Wendy S. Grolnick

Interest and Its Relation to Rewards, Reward Expectations, and Incentives
Suzanne E. Hidi and K. Ann Renninger

Competition Can Enhance Motivation-but Typically Undermines It
Johnmarshall Reeve

Insights Gained from Controversy #4
Question 5: Can We Control Our Motivation?

The Unconscious Sources of Motivation and Goals
John A. Bargh and Peter M. Gollwitzer

Two Routes to the Self-Regulation of Motivation and Goals
Peter M. Gollwitzer and John A. Bargh

The Uneasy Relationship Between Conscious and Non-Conscious Motivation
Timothy Urdan

Controlling Your Own Motivation Is an Acquired Skill
Christopher A. Wolters

A Key to Motivation Is Thinking and Acting like You Can Change Things
Erika A. Patall

Finding the Second Wind: Motivation Is Within Our Control
Ellen L. Usher

Insights Gained from Controversy #5


Question 6: Can You Distinguish Motivation from Cognition and Emotion?

Cognitions and Emotions Energize and Sustain Motivation
Dale H. Schunk

Dissecting the Elephant: Cognition, Emotion, and Motivation as Distinct but Intertwined Entities
Reinhard Pekrun

Exploring the Boundaries Between Motivation, Cognition, and Emotion: Theoretical, Empirical, and Practical Distinctions
Patricia A. Alexander

Transactions Among Motivation, Emotion, and Cognition: Blurring the Lines
Paul A. Schutz

Are Cognition, Motivation, and Emotion the Same or Different? Let's Abandon That Thinking
Kou Murayama

Insights Gained from Controversy #6
Question 7: What Are the Unanswered Questions and Unresolved Controversies in Motivation Study?

Understanding Motivation: So Much Is Known, So Much Left to Learn
Timothy Urdan

How Does Context Shape Motivation?
Mimi Bong

Is a Focus on Looking Smart Beneficial for Students' Engagement, Learning, and Achievement?
Lisa Linnenbrink-Garcia

Is There a Need for Psychological Needs in Theories of Achievement Motivation?
Allan Wigfield and Alison C. Koenka

Should Theoretical Integration Occur in the Motivation Literature? Considering What, for Whom, and When
Alison C. Koenka and Allan Wigfield

Insights Gained from Controversy #7


Section 3
How Do We Motivate People?

Question 8: How Do We Motivate People?

How Do We Motivate People? Connecting to People's Existing Goals and Values
Carol S. Dweck

Creating a Motivating Learning Environment: Guiding Principles from Philosophy, Psychology, and Pedagogy
Patricia A. Alexander

Easy to Get People to Do Things, More Challenging to Facilitate Their Motivation
Wendy S. Grolnick

When It Comes to Motivating Others, What's Easy Is Not Always What Works
Erika A. Patall

Motivating People: It Depends on What, and It Depends on When
Eric M. Anderman

How Do We Motivate People? By Working with Their Self-Beliefs
Ellen L. Usher

A Control-Value Approach to Affective Growth
Reinhard Pekrun

How to Foster Motivation? The Need-Based Motivating Compass as a Source of Inspiration
Maarten Vansteenkiste and Bart Soenens

You Can Motivate Others by Nurturing Five Experiences that Satisfy Their Need for Autonomy: Authentic Inner Compass, Authentic Intentions, and Freedom
Avi Assor, Moti Benita, and Yael Geifman

Improving Social Contexts Can Enhance Student Motivation
Kathryn R. Wentzel

What Teachers Need to Know About Promoting Student Motivation to Learn
Helen Patrick

Insights Gained from Controversy #8


Section 4
What Is the Future of Motivation Science?

Question 9: What Is the Most Fundamental Limitation in Contemporary Motivation Theory and Research?

Is Academic Motivation a Tree Trunk, a Fan, a Wall, a Rope, a Snake, or a Spear? No, It's an Elephant and It's on Fire
Ellen A. Skinner

Gaps in Contemporary Motivation Research: A Biopsychological Perspective
Andrew J. Martin and Emma C. Burns

Identifying the Role of Social Relationships in Motivating Students to Learn
Kathryn R. Wentzel

Most Motivation Research in Education Is Not Yet Useful for Teachers
Helen Patrick

Motivational Researchers Must Move Beyond Linear Models to Consider Motivational Processes as Part of a Complex System
Lisa Linnenbrink-Garcia

The Most Fundamental Limitation in Motivation Theory and Research Is Our Theories
Eric M. Anderman

Infatuation with Constructs and Losing Sight of the Motivational Phenomenon
Avi Kaplan

Theoretical and Methodological Disintegration Is the Most Fundamental Limitation in Contemporary Motivation Research
Benjamin Nagengast and Ulrich Trautwein

Insights Gained from Controversy #9


Question 10: What Will Be the Most Significant Development in Motivation Science in the Next Decade?

The Next Decade: Making Motivation the Foundation of Psychology Again
Carol S. Dweck

Harnessing Biopsychology and Mobile Technology to Develop Motivation Science in the Next Decade
Andrew J. Martin, Emma C. Burns, Roger Kennett, and Joel Pearson

Digitization Will Bring Profound Changes in Educational Practice and Research on Motivation
Ulrich Trautwein and Benjamin Nagengast

Understanding Human Motivation and Action as a Complex Dynamic System
Avi Kaplan

Assessing Motivation Dynamically
Dale H. Schunk

Motivation in the Wild: Capturing the Complex Social Ecologies of Academic Motivation
Ellen A. Skinner, Thomas A. Kindermann, Justin W. Vollet, and Nicolette P. Rickert

Community-Engaged Research: The Next Frontier in Motivation Science
DeLeon L. Gray and Brooke Harris-Thomas

Insights Gained from Controversy #10 Show More