Outerbridge, S., & Taub, M., & Nader, M., & Pal, S., & Zaurin, R., & Cho, H. J. (2024, June), Investigating Motivation and Self-Regulated Learning for Students in a Fundamental Engineering Course  Paper presented at 2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Portland, Oregon. 10.18260/1-2--47691

\bibitem{asee_peer_47691}
  Outerbridge, S., \& Taub, M., \& Nader, M., \& Pal, S., \& Zaurin, R., \& Cho, H. J. (2024, June), \emph{Investigating Motivation and Self-Regulated Learning for Students in a Fundamental Engineering Course}
  Paper presented at 2024 ASEE Annual Conference \& Exposition, Portland, Oregon.
  10.18260/1-2--47691

Sierra Outerbridge, Michelle Taub, Marino Nader, Sudeshna Pal, Ricardo Zaurin, and Hyoung Jin Cho.  "Investigating Motivation and Self-Regulated Learning for Students in a Fundamental Engineering Course".  2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Portland, Oregon, 2024, June.  ASEE Conferences, 2024.  https://peer.asee.org/47691 Internet.  15 Dec, 2024

\bibitem{asee_peer_47691}
  Sierra Outerbridge, Michelle Taub, Marino Nader, Sudeshna Pal, Ricardo Zaurin, and Hyoung Jin Cho.
  "Investigating Motivation and Self-Regulated Learning for Students in a Fundamental Engineering Course".
  \emph{2024 ASEE Annual Conference \& Exposition, Portland, Oregon, 2024, June}.
  ASEE Conferences, 2024.
  https://peer.asee.org/47691 Internet.  15 Dec, 2024

@INPROCEEDINGS{asee_peer_47691
author = "Sierra Outerbridge, Michelle Taub, Marino Nader, Sudeshna Pal, Ricardo Zaurin, and Hyoung Jin Cho"
title = "Investigating Motivation and Self-Regulated Learning for Students in a Fundamental Engineering Course"
booktitle = "2024 ASEE Annual Conference \& Exposition"
year = "2024"
month = "June"
address = "Portland, Oregon"
publisher = "ASEE Conferences"
note = {https://peer.asee.org/47691}
number = {10.18260/1-2--47691}
}

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - Motivation and self-regulated learning (SRL) are two interconnected constructs that are critical for student learning, especially for those in challenging fundamental Engineering courses such as Thermodynamics. Each of these constructs are integral to the learning process and typically impact one another, as fostering motivation can lead to improved self-regulatory skills. SRL is described as a cyclical process where students plan, set goals, monitor learning, and reflect to further plan learning strategies. These strategies require further investigation as they are increasingly important to integrate within the classroom, especially for challenging STEM-based courses.  By specifically fostering motivation and SRL, students can engage more effectively with the material, leading to improved learning outcomes. To investigate these components of the learning process in Engineering, we collected self-report measures of achievement goal orientation (motivation), general self-efficacy (motivation), and motivated strategies for learning (SRL) for 146 undergraduate engineering students in Thermodynamics. 

To better understand (1) the interconnected nature of these constructs for students and (2) the self-regulatory and motivational profiles of students who might exist within this engineering classroom, we conducted a cluster analysis by grouping student perceptions of their use of SRL strategies and their self-reported achievement goal orientation (motivation). Achievement goal orientation is a 2x2 matrix of having goals in the classroom (mastery/performance) and the valence of those goals (approach/avoidance), resulting in four goal orientation profiles. Mastery indicates that a student desires to learn the material to master the content, often indicative of deeper learning practices. Conversely, performance indicates that students are motivated by accomplishing a task, which can sometimes lead to a surface-level understanding of the material.   

The cluster analysis was conducted with 146 Thermodynamics students who responded to these questionnaires for the Spring 2023 semester at a university in the Southeastern United States. We identified 4 student clusters that emerged from our k-means cluster analysis: (1) High All Achievement Goals and High SRL (n=34), (2) Low All Achievement Goals and Low SRL (n=20), (3) Deep-Level Motivation and High SRL (n=24), and (4) Surface-Level Motivation and Low SRL (n=68).   By identifying these different groups, we can better understand the possible archetypes of students in Thermodynamics classrooms based on self-perceptions of SRL and motivation.  

We then conducted a Kruskal-Wallis test to determine if there were median differences between clusters for self-reported general self-efficacy, another motivation construct. Consistent with the literature, we identified that there were statistically significant median differences between the  student clusters [H(3)=20.76, p <.001], with Group 3 (Deep-Level Motivation and High SRL) having the highest median score for self-efficacy. Conversely, the students who had the lowest score for self-efficacy are in Cluster 2: students who perceive themselves as having low self-regulatory skills and low motivation. 

This study shows a significant difference between each of these student clusters, indicating a need for educators to address the varied student needs within the Engineering classroom . By understanding the types of students who might be in our classrooms, we can better adapt instructional decision-making to more accurately address the motivational and self-regulatory needs of our students.
AU  - Sierra Outerbridge
AU  - Michelle Taub
AU  - Marino Nader
AU  - Sudeshna Pal
AU  - Ricardo Zaurin
AU  - Hyoung Jin Cho
CY  - Portland, Oregon
DA  - 2024/06/23
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - Investigating Motivation and Self-Regulated Learning for Students in a Fundamental Engineering Course
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/47691
DO  - 10.18260/1-2--47691
ER  -