Analyzing Goal Orientations and Perceptions

Instructions

Accurately examining your current classroom environment and practices is essential to improving learner motivation. Using the PALS Manual, you will construct two surveys.

The first is a 12-item survey for administration to students. This survey may be used to assess selected motivational perceptions and behaviors of your students.

The second is a 20-item survey you will use to self-assess your existing motivational teaching practices. Finally, you will analyze the information you obtain in your self-assessment to help you determine the focus of your application assignments.

• View/Download the Template Tables  download(DOC) for use in this assignment.
• Create a Word document for your response.
• Use APA format for the title page, references page, and in-text citations. Use the part titles as subheadings.
• Complete Parts 1, 2, 3, and 4 of your assignment according to the directions for each part.
• Follow the directions to submit your final Word document. Include all parts in a single submission document.

Part 1: Student Survey

Step 1. Access the Manual for the Patterns of Adaptive Learning Scales (PALS Manual) (Links to an external site.).

Page numbers on the Student Scales template chart refer to pages of the PALS Manual.

Step 2. In your Word document, create a Student Scales chart. You may use the template provided in the Template Tables document (linked above), or recreate the chart yourself.

Select two questions for each category, and record their numbers in the template.

Step 3. Construct a 12-item survey in table format that you can administer to a group of students, and include it in your Word document. You may use the template provided in the Template Tables document (linked above), or recreate the chart yourself.

Tutorials for creating surveys are available: Digital Learning Connections Resources and Tips.

NOTE: When you administer this survey as part of your Module 2 Application assignment, questions and possible responses should be read aloud. Responses are meant to be kept anonymous, so do not let students put their names on the survey. If you are working with younger students, modify questions to an appropriate comprehension level.

Step 4. Save a copy of the survey to your desktop. You will use the Student Survey in the Module 2 Application.

Part 2: Teacher Survey

Step 5. Access the Manual for the Patterns of Adaptive Learning Scales (PALS Manual) (Links to an external site.).

Page numbers on the Teacher Scales template chart refer to pages of the PALS Manual.

Step 6. In your Word document, create a Teacher Scales chart. You may use the template provided in the Template Tables document (linked above), or recreate the chart yourself.

Select four questions for each category, and record their numbers in the template.

Step 7. Construct a 20-item survey that you will complete as a self-assessment, and include it in your Word doc.

You may use the template provided in the Template Tables document (linked above), or recreate the chart yourself.

Tutorials for creating surveys are available: Digital Learning Connections Resources and Tips.

Part 3: Summarizing Your Results

Step 8. In your Word document, construct a Teacher Summary chart and summarize the results of your teacher self-assessment survey. You may use the template provided in the Template Tables document (linked above), or recreate the chart yourself.

To obtain the average score, you will need to perform this calculation:

• Add the four scores for each question. (For example: 4 + 5 + 5 + 4 = 18). Then, divide that number by 4 to obtain the average score. You will refer to these average scores in your summary.

Part 4: Analyzing Your Results

Step 9. Use the scores you obtained from your Teacher Survey and your own research to compose a minimum one-page paper guided by the questions below.

Include information from at least one scholarly journal, and cite the source in APA format with a full references page at the end of the response. For information on APA format, consult the APA Style website (Links to an external site.).

The first set of questions pertains to Mastery Goal Structure for Students and addresses teachers’ perceptions of how the school conveys to students that the purpose of engaging in academic work is to develop competence.

• How do mastery goal structures affect student engagement and motivation?
• Based on your average score for this subcategory, discuss your school’s support (or non-support) of mastery goal learning.

The second set of questions pertains to Performance Goal Structure for Students and addresses teachers’ perceptions of how the school conveys to students that the purpose of engaging in academic work is to demonstrate competence.

• How do performance goal structures affect student engagement and motivation?
• Considering your average score for this subcategory, discuss your school’s support (or non-support) of performance goal learning.

The third set of questions pertains to Mastery Approaches – teacher strategies that convey to students that the purpose of engaging in academic work is to develop competence.

• Considering your average score for this subcategory, discuss what you are currently doing, what would you like to keep doing, and what would you like to change with regard to encouraging students to develop competence. Please use examples in your explanation.

The fourth set of questions pertains to Performance Approaches – teacher strategies that convey to students that the purpose of engaging in academic work is to demonstrate competence.

• Considering your average score for this subcategory, discuss what you are currently doing, what would you like to keep doing, and what would you like to change with regard to encouraging students to demonstrate competence. Please use examples in your explanation.

The fifth set of questions pertains to Personal Teaching Efficacy – teachers’ beliefs that they contribute significantly to the academic progress of their students and can effectively teach all students.

• Considering your average score for this subcategory, what would help you maintain or increase the degree to which you feel efficacious about stimulating student motivation and maintaining student engagement? What would you like to keep doing, stop doing, or begin doing?