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6EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF A YOUNGER SCHOOLCHILD
Abstract
In the early school years, the evolution of cognitive motivation becomes one of the most important stages of development. The purpose of the article is to study learning motivation of a primary school student. The principal method to study this problem is the method of conversation followed by a generalization of the data array obtained by content analysis. We used the methodology developed at the Institute of Childhood of the Russian State Pedagogical Institute under the guidance of A.G. Gogoberidze. The authors found out that the motives for studying at school in the group under consideration from the 1st grade to the 4th do not change and the main motives (causes) of learning at school are - gaining knowledge, mastering the ability to learn, self-improvement and preparation for future life. These are internal motives of cognitive nature. Younger students showed a positive attitude towards teachers. Most children speak positively of the qualities of their teachers, as well as the features of teachers' professional activity. The article materials can be useful to theorists and practitioners in the field of primary education in reference to determining and maintaining the trajectory of educational motivation in younger schoolchildren.
Keywords
Younger schoolchild, motivation, learning motivation, cognitive motivation, external and internal motivation, learning motives, attitude towards a teacher
AUTHORS
Inna S. Bukharova
Candidate of Pedagogy, Associate Professor of the Chair of Pedagogy and Psychology of Childhood, Ural State Pedagogical University, Ekaterinburg, Russia. 26, Cosmonaut Ave., Ekaterinburg, 620017, Russia E-mail.ru: inessa71@mail.ru
Marina V. Byvsheva
Candidate of Pedagogy, Dean of the Faculty of Pedagogy and Psychology
of Pre-school Education, Associate Professor of the Chair of Pedagogy and Psychology of Childhood, Ural State Pedagogical University, Ekaterinburg, Russia. 26, Cosmonaut Ave., Ekaterinburg, 620017, Russia E-mail.ru: mbyvsheva@ya.ru
Polina V. Kropotukhina
Candidate of Philology, Associate Professor of the Chair of Professionally Oriented Language Education, Ural State Pedagogical University, Ekaterinburg, Russia. 26, Cosmonaut Ave., Ekaterinburg, 620017, Russia E-mail.ru: pauline8@mail.ru
1. Introduction
At primary school age emergence of learning motivation becomes an important stage in the development of a personality. Therefore, the issue of the learning motivation is
quite relevant. It should be noted that almost all children entering school and studying in it during the first weeks and months are interested in school. The basis of educational motivation is the child's reaction to novelty, new living conditions, and new people.
According to V.M. Rybakova, practical observations show that 38% of children enrolled in the first grade experience fear or unwillingness to learn. After the first month of study, 15% of students lose interest in school for various reasons. Moreover, interest in a new form of teaching and new teaching materials is quickly saturated, so in the first days of schooling it is important to form a new motive related to the content of knowledge and interest in the material itself. Therefore, in primary classes, the form of instruction used by the teacher, and the teaching methods used to increase interest in the study of educational stuff are of paramount importance (Rybakova, 2010).
The concept of "learning motivation" in the psychological and pedagogical literature does not have a precise definition. Often the terms "motivation for learning", "motivation for learning at school", "motivation for learning activities" are used as synonyms. In this paper, we will adhere to the concept of "learning motivation", which will be considered as a particular type of motivation included in the learning activity. This concept includes such components as the need for learning, the meaning of learning, the motive of learning, the purpose, emotions, the attitude and interest.
2. Materials and Methods
The problem of learning motivation has involved many scientists: R. R. Biebrich, L. I. Bozhovich, I. A. Vasilyev, I. I. Vartanova, L. S. Vygotsky, P. Y. Halperin, N. V. Elfimova, G. E. Zalessky, G. Y. Zvereva, L. B. Itelson, J. L. Kolominsky, A. N. Leontyev, V. Y. Lyaudis, A. K. Markova, S. L. Rubinstein, V. M. Rybakova, N. F. Talyzina, D. B. Elkonin, V. S. Yurkevich, P. I. Jacobson, M. G. Yaroshevsky and others.
L. I. Bozhovich identified two main types of educational motives - cognitive ones (generated mainly by the educational activity itself and directly related to the content and process of learning), and social ones (generated by the entire system of relations existing between the child and the surrounding reality, lying outside the educational process) The researcher came to the conclusion that at school age, out of the whole system of motives that prompted learning activities, broad social motives are above all, determining a positive attitude to activities (Bozhovich, 1972).
A.K. Markova points out three levels of development (or three groups of motives) for cognitive motivation: a broad cognitive motive, i.e. focus on gaining new knowledge; educational motive, which leads to mastering the methods of obtaining knowledge, and the motive of self-education which is the most mature motive, but it appears only at the senior school age (Markova, 1980).
In any case, learning and cognitive motivations are not the only ones in the motivational complex that determines the child's behavior at school. There are also game motives, and focus on communicating with peers. The main question is what motive in this hierarchy is predominant and what is the structure of motives at primary school age. This study was devoted to the given question, and our purpose was to know more about the learning motivation of a younger student.
The first objective was to study the structure of the younger students' learning motivation. The second objective was to study the attitude of the younger students to their teachers.
The study of the motivation for learning at school was carried out on the basis of a conversation followed by a factual generalization of the data array obtained through the content analysis using the methodology developed at the Institute of Childhood of the
Russian State Pedagogical Institute under the guidance of A. G. Gogoberidze (Gogoberidze, 2010).
The results of the study are presented by a sample of answers from 35 children aged 7-11 years old.
According to the methodology developed under the guidance of A. G. Gogoberidze, the main reasons for schooling (the motives for learning) for children are as follows: knowledge acquisition, mastering the methods of actions, mastering the ability to learn, improving one's own personality, communicating with teachers, preparing for a future life, growing up, expanding the circle of communication, achieving the same status as everyone has at this age, waiting for interesting activities, avoiding trouble when you do not attend school, communicating with peers.
We analyzed the children's answers to the question "Why, in your opinion, do children go to school?" separately for the following age groups: 7 years old (10 people), 8 years old (5 people), 9 years old (10 people), 10-11 years old (10 people.).
3. Results and Discussion
3.1. Analyzing the answers of seven-year-old children of 7 years we found out that their main reason for studying at school is knowledge acquisition ("At school, you need to learn in order to gain new knowledge"). Such answers were given by 70% of respondents. 50% of the answers were related to mastering the ability to learn. For example, Nikita answered: "because in my old age it will come in handy. If you don't learn, you won't know anything, even 2 + 2. " Also, 50% of children answered that it is necessary to go to school in order to "get smarter", "To be clever, to develop yourself," that is, they need to go to school to improve themselves.
To a lesser extent, as much as 20% of the answers mentioned preparation for the future life as the reason for studying at school: "So that when you grow up, it would be easier at work". There were no other reasons in the group of children of 7 years old.
In the group of children of 8 years old, the most often mentioned reasons for schooling were associated with knowledge acquisition (80%) - "To know a lot of new things". In their responses 60% of children showed that learning is needed to master the ability to learn - "Well, not to be ignorant, not to be stupid", and to prepare for the future life "To study, get knowledge, then get a good education and work." 40% of students answered that studying is necessary for their personal development - "To be intelligent," "not to be stupid." Other reasons that indicate why they need to go to school were not expressed.
3.2. Most children of the age of 9 answered that it was necessary to attend school because it is preparation for the future life "to go to university, and after the university to work, not to live a life of the homeless," "To get some kind of education, then go to work ", "Well, to get an education, to become somebody. " It should be noted that students seek to obtain the knowledge not because it will help to get an education and find a job, but seek for education as such.
Half of the respondents understand that they need to go to school to study. "To study, they learn more at school than at home." Somewhat less than 40% of children answered that they need to gain knowledge "Ah! Well, why? To get knowledge, an swers to all the questions. " To be able to read and write - so answered two girls, answering the question "Why do I need to go to school?". And only one child said that they go to school "to play, to be friends."
3.3. In the group of children aged 10-11 years old, the answers related to knowledge acquisition were given the first place - (70%), i.e. most of the children said that they go to school to get knowledge. At the same time, 50% of the respondents indicated that it is necessary to study at school for the purposes of self-improvement - "To become clever, cheerful, talkative in the future, " "To study, and then to study on your onw". Also in the responses, 40% of children say that schooling is needed to prepare for a future life. For example, Lera replied, "Children go to school to gain knowledge, to learn something new, for example, in the future, they'll be asked a question, but they won't know and will be without education. That is, a school is needed in order to get an education". 30% of children answered that they were learning to master the ability to learn, so one respondent answered: "To write, speak, paint correctly". Or: "Learn, so that later you can learn and teach children". One child from each group responded that learning will help to master ways of action "To know the letters, so that all knowledge will be useful in the future". And there was an answer related to avoiding trouble if you did not attend school "Parents say so. That I need to go to school. I did not want to go to school to day, but my mother said that if I didn't study, I would not be allowed go for a walk. "
3.4. A comparative analysis of the data on the study of the motives of going to school is presented in the Appendix in Table A.
So, among the answers to the question "Why, in your opinion, do children go to school?" in all age groups from 7 to 11 prevail the ones concerning gaining knowledge ("To learn something new", "To get new knowledge", "To know a lot", "To know a lot of new things", "To get knowledge, the answers to all the questions".) "Suppose you don't go to school and ask "What to do?". Here I am, let's say, an adult: "Oh, what should I do? I am a hobo. I'm begging "(a child of 9) etc.
The exception is made by children of 9 years old among whom prevailed the answers connected with preparation for the future life. In the second place in the group of children from 7 to 9 years old there were the answers in which students tesponded that they go to school to master the ability to learn (50-60%). In the third place, respondents noted as a reason for studying at school, preparation for the future life at 7 and 10-11 years old, personal development at 8 years old, and gaining knowledge at 9 years old.
Comparing the answers of children from 7 to 10-11 years old, we see that the structure of motives for schooling for children of 7 and 8 years old l is almost the same -children come to school in order to acquire knowledge, master the ability to learn, for self-development and preparation for the future life. This is evidenced by such answers as "to get an education and work" and, as Daniel put it, "To go to the institute or go to work". The only difference is that in seven-year-old children there are few answers related to preparing for the future life - only 20%, and by the age of eight such answers become 3 times more - 60%.
Perhaps this is due to the fact that when children come to the first grade, parents, motivating their children to succeed in learning, speak out the idea that learning is, after all, necessary for their future. In fact, children's answers repeat the words of their parents. "To learn some profession," eight-year-old Nastya said, which suggests that she, naturally, due to her age peculiarities does not understand what profession to learn and why, but that's what her parents say.
We should note that studies of the structure of the motives of younger schoolchildren showed that, despite the development of children's self-awareness and the emergence of reflection as a newness most children are not aware of the motivations of their actions. A more clear understanding of their aspirations and their individuality comes by the end of primary school age.
By the age of 9, the structure of school motives remains the same, but the preparation for the future life comes to the fore, and the motives associated with mastering the ability to learn and gaining knowledge occupy secondary positions. Thus, the motive associated with preparing for the future life from year to year becomes more important) at primary school age. But by the age of 10-11, it gives his place up to the motives of the personal improvement and knowledge acquisition.
Our study thus confirms the data of L. I. Bozhovich, according to which "gradually, to the 3-4th grade, children's interest is directed to the scientific content of the subject, they are interested in explaining the facts, establishing causal dependencies. Selective attitude to individual subjects is emerging" (Bozhovich, 1972).
It should be noted that genuinely cognitive interests are found in the case when a younger student seeks to get not just any result, but to find a common way to get the results of this type (Davydov, 2008).
3.5. Characterizing the structure of the motives of the group of children of primary school age in general, it can be noted that the motives for studying in school from grade 1 to grade 4 do not change and the main reasons for learning at school are - gaining knowledge, mastering the ability to learn, self-improvement and preparation for the future life.
The first most common motive in the studied group of respondents is the motive associated with the acquisition of knowledge. According to the classification of educational motives by L. I. Bozhovich such motives belong to the group of cognitive, i.e. generated by the learning activity itself and directly related to the content and process of learning. We can say that these are not just cognitive motives, but "broad cognitive motives" (motives oriented toward gaining new knowledge).
In second place was the motive associated with the mastery of the ability to learn. This motive, according to A. K. Markova, belongs to the group of cognitive educational motives, i.e. oriented towards the acquisition of methods of acquiring knowledge, methods of their independent acquisition: this is an interest in methods of scientific knowledge, in methods of self-regulation for academic work.
The motives connected with the acquisition of knowledge and with the mastery of the ability to learn, are related to internal ones, according to another generally accepted classification. The motive of self-improvement also refers to internal motives.
The motive of self-improvement, which turned out to be in the third place as a result of our research, also belongs to the group of cognitive educational motives, but it is already a motive of a higher level of development, according to A. K .Markova, the motive of self-education. The motive of self-education is the motive associated either with a focus on the acquisition of additional knowledge, or associated with the construction of a special program of self-improvement.
In the fourth place, the motive associated with preparing for the future life is revealed. Such motives belong to a group of social motives, namely, to a subgroup of broad social motives.
Least often of all, the younger schoolchildren mentioned such reasons for schooling as mastering ways of doing things and expanding their social circle - "to play, to make friends", and the motive avoiding trouble if they did not attend school.
In the sample of the children's responses we studied there were no answers in which the reasons for attending school were: communication with teachers and peers, maturity, achieving the same status as everyone at that age, waiting for interesting activities. This indicates the absence of narrow social or positional motives (the desire to take a certain position in relations with others, to get their approval, to earn credibility), and the
motives of social cooperation, oriented to different ways of interacting with other people, the desire to communicate and interact with other people.
3.6. We now turn to the question of studying primary schoolchildren's attitudes towards a teacher.
If we talk about the factors encouraging learning motivation, the following are highlighted as sources of positive motivation to learn in school: the content of the learning stuff, the character of the learning and cognitive activity itself and, of course, the teacher's relationships with the students.
The students were asked the following question: "Imagine that you have a friend .... who does not go to school. If he went to school, would you like him to have a teacher like yours? Why?".
The results were processed according to the method developed under the guidance of A.G. Gogoberidze. According to the method the following categories can be distinguished in the characteristics of a teacher: appearance, character, professional activity, communication, personality.
Analysis of children's responses showed that children of 7 years old in the majority of answers characterize their teacher positively, emphasizing, on the whole such personal qualities as goodness, kindness (60%). Also, students assess the teacher from the professional point of view, "writes beautifully," "sets interesting tasks," "teaches us everything". Such were 40% of answers, and 20% of children found it difficult to answer.
One child described his teacher as constrained, but at the same time he would recommend her to a friend. Other qualities to describe his teacher were not mentioned.
All children in the 8-year-old sample characterize their teachers positively and recommend them (100%). 60% of children name "good", "kind", "strict" as positive characteristics. The same number of answers (60%) fall into the category of "Professional activity". The children say about their teacher that she "explains well", "teaches us well". Only one child would not recommend his teacher, but would advise another one - about whom he said that she is "more gentle".
3.7. 90% of children of 9 years old describe their teacher as "kind," "cheerful," "good," "fair," "disciplined," "scolds us" (the children say that they have something to be scolded for). 50% of children's answers include such characteristics of a teacher's professional activity as "if you don't understand something, she will explain to you, tell you," "if you don't answer correctly, he will correct, well, he will tell you". One girl, Sonya, noted sociability in her teacher, "you can tell her something about your personal life," and another child emphasized a personal quality - "smart." External qualities were noted by Nastya, who said that the teacher was "beautiful."
None of the children in this age group gave a negative description of their teacher.
3.8. 100% of children aged 10-11 years old have noted such traits of the teacher as "good", "kind", "doesn't scold", "cheerful", "never shouts", "honest". 30% of children's answers include such characteristics of the teacher's professional activities as "sets less homework," "explains what they did not understand." In 20% of the students' answers, the teacher's sociability is emphasized - "she will listen, that is, she will understand", "supports us". One child noted such a characteristic of the teacher's appearance as "old", while generally he says: "Our teacher is very good, kind, despite the fact that she is, well, old."
A comparative analysis of the research data on attitudes towards the teacher is presented in the Appendix in Tables B and C.
4. Conclusion
The study we conducted showed that among primary schoolchildren the main motives for studying at school are gaining knowledge, mastering the ability to learn, self-improvement and preparation for the future life, i.e. internal motives of cognitive nature. This suggests that the subjects being studied are internally accepted and motivated, the content of school subjects becomes personal value. The dominance of internal motivation is characterized by the manifestation of the students' own activity in the process of learning. Students with external motivation, for whom knowledge is not the purpose of schooling, and when a younger student is alienated from the teaching process, were not identified.
In general, younger students revealed a positive attitude towards the teacher. Most of the children note, above all, the positive qualities of character of the teacher and the features of their professional activity. Only nine-year-olds gave a more complete description of their teacher: from the point of view of appearance, and communication, and personal qualities. When answering, children gladly spoke about their teacher, described their teacher as the best.
Negative characteristics were presented in the responses of children only in isolated instance, and only one child did not recommend his teacher, since "she is not so tender."
It should be noted that the teacher plays a decisive role in shaping educational cognitive motivation. The teacher's role is to create an atmosphere of emotional comfort in the learning process to ensure friendly relations in the team, to show pedagogical optimism towards the students, to believe in their abilities and expect high performance from each child.
TABLE A - DISTRIBUTION OF DATA STUDYING MOTIVES OF LEARNING AT SCHOOL BY AGE GROUPS
7 years old 8 years old 9 years old 10-11 years old
1st place knowledge acquisition (70%) knowledge acquisition (80%) preparation for future life (60%) knowledge acquisition (70%)
2nd place mastering the ability to learn (50%) personal development (50%) mastering the ability to learn (60%) preparation for future life (60%) Mastering the ability to learn (50%) personal development (50%)
3rd place preparation for future life (20%) personal development (40%) knowledge acquisition (40%) preparation for future life (40%)
TABLE B - DISTRIBUTION OF RESEARCH DATA ON ATTITUDES TO THE TEACHER
(POSITIVE CHARACTERISTICS)
7 years old 8 years old 9 years old 10-11 years old
1 st place Character (60%) Character (60%) Character (90%) Character (100%)
2nd place Professional activity (40%) Professional activity (60°%) Professional activity (50%) Professional activity (30%)
3rd place Can't formulate, have difficulty to answer(20%) - Appearance (10%) Communication (10%) Personality (10%) Communication (20%)
TABLE C - DISTRIBUTION OF RESEARCH DATA ON ATTITUDES TO THE TEACHER
(NEGATIVE CHARACTERISTICS)
7 years old 8 years old 9 years old 10-11 years old
Character (10%) «constrained» Professional activity (20%) «Not so tender» Appearance (10%) «Old»
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