Engagement in College and University Applied Learning Experiences and Students’ Academic Motivation

Abstract

Background: Applied learning approaches that require students to enact learning continue to be expanded to various contexts within higher education. Researchers have demonstrated an association between applied learning and positive outcomes for students. Purpose: This study examines the relationship between engagement in applied learning experiences during college and students’ fourth-year academic motivation. Methodology/Approach: This study uses data from the Wabash National Study of Liberal Arts Education, a multi-institutional, longitudinal study of college experiences and outcomes in the United States. The dependent variable was fourth-year academic motivation, and independent variables were applied learning experiences that students frequently encounter during college. Findings/Conclusions: Several applied learning experiences were associated with increased academic motivation. These included the following: applying concepts to practical problems or in new situations, engaging in exams or assignments that require use of course content to address a problem, engaging in research with a faculty member, and out-of-class experiences that help to translate knowledge from the classroom into action. Implications: As academic motivation tends to decline during college, applied learning approaches may help to improve students’ motivation. Institutions of higher education should consider methods and strategies for developing and implementing applied learning experiences both in the classroom and in students’ out-of-class experiences.

Leveraging the Added Value of Experiential Co-Curricular Programs to Humanize Medical Education

“…This is expected to foster creativity, along with critical and lateral thinking (Baeten et al, 2013;Wang et al, 2017) which are skills identified as crucial for the workforce of the future (World Economic Forum, 2016). These are all in alignment with the existing literature, where co-curricular opportunities that included applying concepts to practical problems or in new situations, engaging in research, and undergoing out-of-class experiences that require translating knowledge into action, were associated with increased academic motivation (Trolian & Jach, 2020).…”

“…The fact that learning occurs in diverse settings, both within and outside of the formal classroom environment, has been widely reported (Astin, 1999; Pascarella & Blaich, 2013). Experiential and applied learning opportunities beyond the classroom are beneficial to students and are considered to be key elements for knowledge transfer and sustained academic motivation (Trolian & Jach, 2020). Hence, in higher education, the importance of applied learning approaches, that require students to enact learning, continues to be reiterated (Trolian & Jach, 2020).…”

The Effect of Collaborative Learning on Academic Motivation

“…I captured this outcome with an eight-item standardized scale (alpha = .74) that assesses respondents' overall levels of academic motivation. This particular variable is the same measure used in other research on academic motivation among university students (e.g., An 2015;Trolian and Jach 2020;Wu 2019). Some items include the degree to which the respondent believed they read more than they needed to for their classes, and the extent to which they believe that getting good grades is important, for example.…”

Immersive Experience during Covid-19: The Mediator Role of Alternative Assessment in Online Learning Environment

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