Projects / Programmes
A stimulating learning environment for motivated learning and quality knowledge
| Code |
Science |
Field |
Subfield |
| 5.01.00 |
Social sciences |
Educational studies |
|
| Code |
Science |
Field |
| S270 |
Social sciences |
Pedagogy and didactics |
| Code |
Science |
Field |
| 5.03 |
Social Sciences |
Educational sciences |
motivation, attitude to knowledge, interest, self-efficacy, knowledge, competences, active teaching, students, adolescents, international assessment
Researchers (5)
Organisations (1)
| no. |
Code |
Research organisation |
City |
Registration number |
No. of publicationsNo. of publications |
| 1. |
0553 |
Educational Research Institute |
Ljubljana |
5051614000 |
0 |
Abstract
The aim of the proposed project is to follow the general goal of the call, which is to determine how the learning environment and the teaching direct the students to develop positive attitude towards knowledge and reinforce intrinsic motivation and ensure the acquisition of quality knowledge. The main objectives of education in the Republic of Slovenia, defined in the White Paper on Education in the Republic of Slovenia (2011), which also imply the evaluation of their implementation, are achieving internationally comparable quality general education and quality knowledge that enables achieving excellence and providing incentives for optimal development for all children and developing their capacity for lifelong learning. The National Framework for the Identification and Quality of Education in Education (MIS, 2017) emphasizes the necessity of monitoring the acquired knowledge and the conditions of learning at school (e.g. learning and teaching processes). Both documents determine, inter alia, the evaluation of the quality of education on the basis of international studies of educational achievement (under the IEA and the OECD coverage) that gather the data on knowledge in different subject areas and background variables periodically.
The results of previous international studies of educational achievement in Slovenia, as well as national studies aimed at investigating learning motivation in relation to the knowledge, open the problem of learning motivation. In particular, recent international studies (e.g. TIMSS and TIMSS Advanced 2015, PISA 2015) indicate the lack of motivation in Slovene students in mathematics and science, in spite of their relatively good achievements. Additionally, students perceive low teachers' support for learning, less favorable social climate at school and less frequent active classes compared to their peers in other countries. The results also indicate a relatively large and even increasing proportion (10-15%) of students who do not attain the basic level of knowledge in mathematics and science. Besides, students with the most knowledge are the least interested in learning. Lack of motivation and negative attitudes towards learning and education were also present in more than half of Slovenian high school and university students who participated in the national study of the attitude to knowledge (Gril et al., 2012). The study has found that the dominant viewpoint among young people towards knowledge is a pragmatic attitude, with little appreciation of knowledge, and the perception of education as instrumental in gaining personal benefits. Another major group of students with high achievement appreciates knowledge but perceives formal education as irrelevant. On the basis of these and other results of empirical studies of motivation and attitudes of students towards learning, knowledge and education, we conclude that it is necessary to study the learning environment factors that contribute to the students’ intrinsic motivation, a positive attitude towards knowledge and education and the acquisition of complex knowledge. We propose a project aimed to study the relations between the indicators of learning context and the process of learning and teaching, with learning motivation and the achievements of different groups of students in various subject areas. Also, we want to compare these relations among different generations and educational systems in different countries. On the basis of these results, we will be able to confidently identify the key elements of quality of educational process and plan appropriate strategies for teaching in Slovenian primary and secondary schools, which will stimulate the motivated achievement of the quality knowledge in all children. Namely, the quality knowledge that all children can acquire at school is a necessary condition for the equality and equity in education. At the same time, quality knowledge enables young people to continue education and engage in creative ac
Significance for science
Learning motivation is one of the central themes in the field of education. In the project, an interdisciplinary approach will be applied to reconsider and analyze the motivation both theoretically and empirically. On the basis of careful research starting points and a comprehensive approach to resolving the set of research questions, taking into account all relevant factors, we will formulate a methodological basis that could improve scientific and research work in this area in the future. The findings will contribute to the understanding of motivated learning and the adoption of quality knowledge in the specific conditions determined by the structural and process factors of a particular educational system and the socio-cultural characteristics of a wider society. In this respect, the findings will contribute to the development of basic education sciences also at the international scale.
A key contribution of the project will be the integrated treatment of the motivation area and the creation of a model for promoting motivation and identifying the indicators of appropriate motivation and quality knowledge. Through integral treatment, the project covers both pupil's factors of the social environment, its individual characteristics, as well as the characteristics of the learning process and learning approaches of the teacher. Only this type of approach can enable the creation of stable indicators of the quality of educational process and the application of such findings to wider processes of social functioning outside of the education system. As such, the project will enable to connect the different fields of science, which is an important contribution in itself.
On the basis of research findings, obtained through a theoretically based and empirically verified model of motivation and knowledge factors, the project will also draft the guidelines for a quality assurance of the learning process, which promotes internal motivation and the acquisition of quality knowledge intended for implementation at the level of educational policy and profession, as well as the pedagogical work at the level of school management and classroom instruction.
Significance for the country
Learning motivation is now recognized as the key factor not only in the field of education, but also in employment. The results of the project are crucial in linking the education and the needs of the economy and the labor market. Motivating pupils to achieve good learning goals is often important in connection with the perspective of employment and performance in a particular occupational field, while at the same time it requires these conditions to be met by the economy and the labor market. The two areas are indeed inextricably linked, but in view of the current system of integration, further studies and the creation of clear indicators of improvements are necessary. The results of the project will therefore be able to contribute to the development of strategies and policies in the field of employment, not only education.
An in-depth empirical and theoretical analysis of learning process factors with an emphasis on learning motivation is an important starting point for motivation analysis in the work process. Motivation of employees both in the economy and in the state administration is recognized as a key factor of productivity and development. The periods of education and employment are now becoming increasingly intertwined and interconnected - not only in vocational and tertiary education, but also in general education. Thus, the changes and characteristics of today's society dictate that we integrally consider the motivation of an individual, regardless of whether it is a pupil or an employee.
The results of the project can be an appropriate basis for establishing the bases for strengthening the competence skills in self-employment in the labor market, for developing career responsiveness and for stimulating self-initiative and creativity in solving work tasks. The project will therefore be able to contribute to the development of innovation and entrepreneurship.
Most important scientific results
Most important socioeconomically and culturally relevant results
Final report
