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Exposure to information increases motivation to learn more.
Annie S Ditta1, Carla M Strickland-Hughes2, Cecilia Cheung1
1Department of Psychology, University of California, Riverside, United States.
Learning and Motivation
|September 16, 2020
Summary
Learning new information, even from a TED Talk, can boost student motivation. This suggests that exposure to content itself can spark curiosity and a desire for further learning.
Area of Science:
- Educational Psychology
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- Low student motivation in undergraduate courses is a significant barrier to learning.
- Existing strategies focus on pre-instructional motivation, like highlighting career relevance.
- A gap exists in understanding how the learning process itself can foster motivation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether the act of learning new material can intrinsically increase motivation to learn.
- To determine if exposure to information, regardless of topic, enhances subsequent learning motivation.
Main Methods:
- Three distinct populations were studied: online crowdworkers, students at a large public university, and students at a small private university.
- Participants watched a TED Talk video on a topic unrelated to their coursework.
- Motivation to learn was assessed after the video exposure.
Main Results:
- Watching a TED Talk video led to increased motivation to learn about the video's topic.
- Participants also showed increased general motivation to learn about other topics.
- This effect was observed across all three diverse participant groups.
Conclusions:
- The process of learning can be a powerful driver of motivation.
- Exposure to new information, even passively, can spark curiosity and a desire for more knowledge.
- Educational models should incorporate the role of content exposure in fostering student motivation.
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