Motivation science: controversies and insights

Section I. What is motivation?

What is motivation, where does it come from, and how does it work? / Carol S. Dweck, Matthew L. Dixon, and James J. Gross

Energization and direction are both essential parts of motivation / Andrew J. Elliot

What is Motivation? / Edwin A. Locke

Motivation processes and outcomes / Dale H. Schunk

Motivation is the Interaction between dispositions and context / Deborah Stipek

Motivation is the state of wanting something ... but do we want the right things? / Kennon M. Sheldon

Wanting to feel effective in our goal pursuits for both outcomes and process / E. Tory Higgins and Emily Nakkawita - Pleasure, utility, and goals: Motivation as a value-based decision-making process / Sung-il Kim

Jingle-jangle fallacies in motivation science: Toward a definition of core motivation / Reinhard Pekrun

Academic self-concept: A central motivational construct / Geetanjali Basarkod and Herbert W. Marsh

Motivation resides only in our language, not in our mental processes / Kou Murayama

Insights gained from controversy 1.

Section II. What are the current controversies in motivation science?

Are motivational processes universal across cultures and contexts?

Does one size fit all? Cultural perspectives on school motivation / Dennis M. McInerney

Where will Michelle go to college? Culture and context in the study of motivation / Paul A. Schutz

Can we really say that motivational processes are universal across cultures and contexts? / Briana P. Green, Deleon L. Gray, Elan C. Hope, and Jamaal S. Matthews

Vitamins for psychological growth: A universal foundation for motivating others / Bart Soens and Maarten Vansteenkiste

Big-fish-little-pond effect: Universality of psychological comparison processes / Herbert W. Marsh and Geetangali Basarkod

Insights gained from controversy 2

Is there such a thing as “good” motivation and “bad” motivation?

Some motivations make us happier than others / Kennon M. Sheldon

The good, the bad, and the ugly of motivation / Nikos Ntoumanis

Less is sometimes more: Differentiating “mustivation” from “wantivation” / Maarten Vansteenkiste and Bart Soenens

Do we sometimes surrender our good motivation for bad? Some reflections on the quality of motivation / Allen Wigfield – Good versus bad motivation? Avoiding the lure of false dichotomies / Patricia A. Alexander

Insights grained from controversy 3

Does extrinsic incentive (e.g., rewards, competition) undermine motivation?

Extrinsic rewards undermine motivation in the classroom … sometimes / Eric M. Anderman

Extrinsic incentives/rewards: short-term fix that can undermine long-term motivation / Wendy S. Grolnick

Interest and its relation to rewards, reward expectation, and incentives / Suzanne E. Hidi and K. Ann Renninger

Competition can enhance motivation – but typically undermines it / Johnmarshall Reeve

Insights gained from controversy 4

Can we control our motivation?

The unconscious sources of motivation and goals / John A. Bargh and Pet M. Gollwitzer

Two routes to the self-regulation of motivation and goals / Peter M. Gollwitzer and John A. Bargh

The uneasy relationship between conscious and non-conscious motivation / Tim Urdan

Controlling your own motivation is an acquired skill / Christopher A. Wolters

A key to motivation is thinking and acting like you can change things / Erika A. Patall

Finding the second wind: Motivation is within out control / Ellen L. Usher – Insights gained from controversy 5

Can you distinguish motivation from cognition and emotion?

Cognitions and emotions energize and sustain motivation / Dale H. Schunk

Dissecting the elephant: Cognition, emotion, and motivation as distinct but intertwined entities / Reinhard Pekrun

Exploring the boundaries between motivation, cognition, and emotion: Theoretical, empirical, and practical distinctions / Patricia A. Alexander

Transactions among motivation, emotion, and cognition: Blurring the lines / Paul A. Schultz

Are cognition, motivation, and emotion the same or different? Let’s abandon that thinking / Kou Murayama

Insights gained from controversy 6

What are the unanswered questions and unresolved controversies in motivation study?

Understanding motivation: So much is known, so much left to learn / Tim Urdan

How does context shape motivation? / Mimi Bong

Is a focus on looking smart beneficial for students’ engagement, learning, and achievement? / Lisa Linnenbrink-Garcia

Is there a need for psychological needs in theories of achievement motivation? / Allan Wigfield and Alison C. Koenka

Should theoretical integration occur in the motivation literature? Considering what, for whom, and when / Alison C. Koenka and Allen Wigfield

Insights gained from controversy 7.

Section III. How do we motivate people?

How do we motivate people? Connecting to people’s existing goals / Carol S. Dweck

Creating a motivating learning environment: Guiding principles from philosophy, psychology, and pedagogy / Patricia A. Alexander

Easy to get people to do things, more challenging to facilitate their motivation / Wendy S. Grolnick

When it comes to motivating others, what’s easy is not always what works / Erika A. Patall

Motivating people: It depends on what, and it depends on when / Eric M. Anderman

How do we motivate people? By working on their self-beliefs / Ellen L. Usher

A control-value approach to affective growth / Reinhard Pekrun

How to foster motivation? The need-based motivating compass as a source of inspiration / Maarten Vansteenkiste and Bart Soenens

You can motivate others by nurturing five experiences that satisfy their need for autonomy: Authentic inner compass, authentic intentions, and freedom / Avi Assor, Moti Benita, and Yael Geifman

Improving social contexts can enhance student motivation / Kathryn R. Wentzel

What teachers need to know about promoting student motivations to learn / Helen Patrick

insights gained from controversy 8.

Section IV. What is the most fundamental limitation in contemporary motivation theory and research?

Is academic motivation a tree trunk, a fan, a wall, a rope, a snake, or a spear? No, it’s an elephant and it’s on fire / Ellen A. Skinner

Gaps in contemporary motivation research: A biopsychological perspective / Andrew J. Martin and Emma C. Burns

Identifying the role of social relationships in motivating students to learn / Kathryn R. Wentzel

Most motivation research in education is not yet useful for teachers / Helen Patrick

Motivational researches must move beyond linear models to consider motivational processes as part of a complex system / Lisa Linnenbrink-Garcia

The most fundamental limitation in motivation theory and research is our theories / Eric M. Anderman

Infatuation with constructs and losing sight of the motivational phenomenon / Avi Kaplan

Theoretical and methodological disintegration is the most fundamental limitation in contemporary motivation research / Benjamin Nagengast and Ulrich Trautwein

Insights gained from controversy 9

What will be the most significant development in motivation science in the next decade?

The next decade: Making motivation the foundation of psychology again / Carol S. Dweck

Harnessing biopsychology and mobile technology to develop motivation science in the next decade / Andrew J. Martin, Emma C. Burns, Roger Kennett, and Joel Pearson

Digitization will bring profound changes in educational practice and research on motivation / Ulrich Trautwein and Benjamin Nagengast

Understanding human motivation and action as a complex dynamic system / Avi Kaplan

Assessing motivation dynamically / Dale H. Schunk

Motivation in the wild: Capturing the complex social ecologies of academic motivation / Ellen A. Skinner, Thomas A. Kindermann, Justin W. Vollet, and Nicolette P. Rickert

Community-engaged research: The next frontier in motivation science / DeLeon L. Gray and Brooke Harris-Thomas – Insights gained from controversy 10.