Designing an Effective Motivational Climate: Effects on Students’ Effort and Achievement

Abstract

We present a case study that demonstrates how instructors can intentionally design a positive motivational climate in online and hybrid courses. We also examine the extent to which students’ perceptions of the motivational climate predict their effort and achievement across three different modalities (face-to-face [FTF], online, and hybrid) of the same course. We surveyed students in an undergraduate computer science course once a semester for three consecutive years (FTF in Year 1, online in Year 2, and hybrid in Year 3). Measures included motivation-related scales and final course grades. Our findings, based on survey responses from 981 students, demonstrate that it is possible to create a motivational climate in online and hybrid courses that is as good or better than the motivational climates in a FTF course. Across the FTF, online, and hybrid courses, students’ perceptions of the motivational climate predicted their effort and achievement in similar ways, with perceptions of usefulness, interest, and success serving as the strongest predictors.

Keywords

• student motivation
• effort
• music model of motivation
• online learning
• hybrid learning
• student engagement