Meta-Cognition, Motivation, and Affect

1. Meta-Cognition, Motivation, and Affect PSY504Spring term, 2011 January 13, 2010

2. Today’s Class • Administrative Stuff • Introduction

3. Administrative Stuff • Is everyone signed up for class? • If not, and you want to receive credit, please talk to me after class

4. Class Schedule

5. Class Schedule • As shown on the schedule • Class will end at 5:10pm instead of 5:20pm • Some classes will be cancelled • Extra Friday sessions will be added • The total class time will be equal

6. Fridays • What times work for everyone? • I will schedule a room

7. Required Texts • None

8. Required Readings • Listed in the course schedule on the web • Wed, Jan. 19 reading now online • All readings will be posted online soon

9. Required Readings • Are not actually all that required

10. Required Readings • This is a graduate class • I expect you to be motivated and apply meta-cognition • To decide what is absolutely crucial • And what you should skim to be prepared for class discussion and for when you need to know it in 8 years

11. Course Goals • Learn about three key types of constructs that significantly impact learning and performance in real‐world settings, including but not limited to educational settings. • Meta-Cognition, Motivation, & Affect • Gain understanding of the main theoretical frameworks, and major empirical results, that relate individuals‘ meta‐cognition, motivation, and affect to real‐world outcomes, both in educational settings and other areas of life. • Learn how theories and findings in these domains can be concretely used to improve instruction and performance, • Complete final projects that require applying research in these areas to real‐world problems.

12. Along the way • Studying classical and new ways to measure these constructs • Questionnaires • Experience Sampling Method • Quantitative Field Observation • Expert Ratings of Video or Pictures • Think-Aloud Protocols • Data Mining • Rational Models • Sensor-Based Models

13. Assignments • 2 multi-part assignments • Late policy and turn-in policy is in your syllabus

14. Assignments • In order to support you in utilizing meta-cognition and planning your semester, I am handing out the two assignments now

15. Topic Presentation/Paper • Each of you will select one class during the semester • You will run that class, leading the class in a discussion of that topic • Including the required readings but going beyond them • Between then, and April 20, you will submit an extended paper on that topic • Please read the assignment quickly • Any questions? • You can ask more questions later

16. Topics • Please look at the course schedule • Who would like to teach which topics? • Between Friday, Jan. 28 and the end of the semester

17. Course Project • A semester-long project • Can be conducted individually, or in groups of any size • Can be linked to your research – I strongly encourage this

18. Course Project • Proposal Presentation • Methods Paper • Results Paper • Final Presentation • Please read the assignment quickly • Any questions? • You can ask more questions later

19. Class Participation • 10% of final grade • This is a small class, let’s have good discussions

20. Examinations • There will be an incredibly painful and grueling examination on April 1 • Fortunately, it will count for 0% of your grade

21. Plagiarism and Cheating • Don’t do it • If you have any questions about what it is, talk to me before you turn in an assignment that involves either of these • University regulations will be followed to the letter

22. Accommodations for Students with Disabilities • See syllabus and then see me

23. Surveys • Periodically, I will put up a survey on the web so that you can anonymously give me feedback on the previous class • Please fill these out, as it will help me improve this course for you!

24. Questions • Any questions on the syllabus, schedule, or administrative topics?

25. Today’s Class • Administrative Stuff • Introduction

26. Who are you • And why are you here? • Why are you interested in meta-cognition, motivation, or affect?

27. Your Definitions • Meta-Cognition • Motivation • Affect

28. Meta-Cognition • “Cognition about cognition” • “Knowing about knowing” • “Metacognition refers to one’s knowledge concerning one’s own cognitive processes or anything related to them, e.g., the learning-relevant properties of information or data. For example, I am engaging in metacognition if I notice that I am having more trouble learning A than B; if it strikes me that I should double check C before accepting it as fact.” – Flavell, 1976

29. Motivation • Desire or drive to accomplish goals • In education, desire or drive to succeed in learning or educational performance

30. Affect • “Emotion in context” • “Experience or feeling of emotion”

31. Why are these constructs being taughtin the same class? • Your thoughts?

32. To elucidate this issue… • Let’s draw a map

33. Get out a piece of paper • And draw a diagram with arrows • Linking (as many of these as you want, plus other stuff if you want) Affect Motivation Meta-Cognition Cognition Learning Strategic Behavior Disengagement Self-Regulation Off-Task Behavior Goals Valuation Interest Self-Efficacy Self-Concept Procrastination Drop-Out

34. Let’s take a look… • At your diagrams • What do they share in common? • How do they differ?

35. We’ll save your diagrams • And re-consider at the end of the semester

36. My thoughts • M, M, & A influence student behaviors which in turn influence learning • It can be hard to tell which one explains a student behavior • Example: Does a student read help to get answers rather than to learn because: • They don’t know that’s an ineffective way to learn (Aleven et al., 2004, 2006) • Their goal is to complete the tutor rather than to learn (Martinez-Miron et al., 2004) • They are bored at that moment (Rodrigo et al., 2007, 2008) • All three involve higher-order cognition • All three are experiencing a revolution in methods

37. Next Class • Wednesday, January 19 • 4pm-5:10pm • Meta-cognition: Definitions and Empirical Foundations • Hacker, D.J. (1999) Definitions and Empirical Foundations. In Hacker, D.J., Dunlosky, J., Graesser, A.C. Metacognition in Educational Theory and Practice, 1-24.

38. The End