Heather R. Theijsmeijer
CASCA Education Coordinator
Email: cascaed@astro.utoronto.ca

In one of the latest issues of the Astronomy Education Review (http://aer.noao.edu/), Patrick Len of Cuesta College discusses the results of different reward structures used in introductory astronomy classes, particularly when the reward systems were used in conjunction with electronic response systems (“clickers”). His results were then used to highlight the difference between collaborators (those who prefer working in groups) and self-testers (those who prefer working independently), and their change in attitudes throughout the course. An undertone of his article, however, brings to light an important issue in any classroom: whether reward structures can indeed motivate students to perform better on assessments.

How wonderful would it be if all students could be satisfied simply with the reward gaining knowledge? These students are often a pleasure to teach – they are engaged in discussion in class and offer thoughtful responses on tests and assignments. They are students who are intrinsically motivated – they learn for the sake of learning and a greater understanding of astronomy is their reward.

Unfortunately, in an introductory astronomy course, these students are not in the majority! Most students are there because they “need the credit.” These students are extrinsically motivated – there is something outside the realm of the course motivating them to do the work. It could be the credit itself, needed to graduate, or perhaps they need a science course to maintain a scholarship (in that case, the motivator is money).

How then, does a teacher or professor go about motivating his or her students, each of whom could have a different intrinsic or extrinsic motivator themselves? Being able to motivate your class can lead to an improvement in attitude in the course, as well as a learned fondness for the material itself – and this is especially pertinent in a course such as introductory astronomy, where many students have almost no background in the subject!

In younger grades, physical motivators work well – candy, money or toys may be made available for students who do well. I don’t recommend this at the college or university level (although who knows, tossing a piece of candy to students who participate in a lecture might encourage others to do so!). Personally, I find that even my highest-level students love receiving stickers on returned work when they do well.

On a less tangible level, instructors can motivate by rewarding learner participation through well-timed “positives” – not praise, per se, but encouraging words to lead the student to continue participation and improvement. There are a number of ways of doing this:

• Non-verbal Positives: The easiest “praise” to give, is given without even saying anything! Examples include: smiling, giving the “OK” hand gesture, giving the thumbs up, whistling, or giving any gesture indicating excitement and success.

• Self-talk Positives: Include your personal feelings or experience in the topic at hand. Examples include “This used to really stump me,” “I love when the pieces all fit together like this,” or “I have always wondered about this.”

• Narrative Positives: Describe the actions taken by the student as he/she completes them. This reinforces their participation and encourages them to continue. These statements always begin with “you,” as the instructor is narrating to the student. Examples include: “You are curious as to what might happen next,” or “You are trying to follow this line of reasoning.”

• Reward Statements: Reward statements highlight feelings of self-worth (and hence, motivation) in a positive way. Examples such as “Creative solution,” “You did it!” and “That was tricky,” promote intrinsic motivation on behalf of the students.

• Avoid Praise: It seems to go completely against common sense, but praise is an expression of judgment, and is not as successful in motivating students as the methods above. Instead of encouraging independent thinking, it encourages approval seeking. Well-meaning statements such as “That’s a nice lab,” or even “Good idea,” impart a judgment – it’s subtle (and a hard habit to break), but can have very different effects on your students over long periods of time.

A great many students seek the reward that comes from praise and acceptance from those superior to them (teachers, professors, parents, older siblings, etc.), and as instructors, it is often very easy to give. However by tweaking your method of motivating your class, more students will learn to become self-motivated, and enjoy the process of learning astronomy.

CASCA education Webteam (2008)