Motivational Factors Affecting Advanced Literacy Learning of Community College Students

Abstract

This article explores the possible intrinsic and extrinsic motivational factors that community college students may bring with them into the classroom. It examines how these motivational factors affect students' learning inside and outside the community college classroom walls. The motivational factors such as mastery, self-determination, belongingness, and social responsibility that drive first language learners to achieve a level of advanced literacy is an important avenue of exploration. Such exploration helps develop an understanding of many of the problems related to developing highly literate community college students. By gaining a stronger understanding of what motivates our students, especially what motivates them outside of the classroom, both community college leaders and instructors may be better equipped to provide appropriate environmental and pedagogical opportunities for literacy learning.The United States average for graduation rates for full-time students at community colleges is 24.7%. In the state of Massachusetts the average is sadly lower at 16.4% (Schweitzer, 2006). With such a low average in both the U.S. and in the state of Massachusetts, community college educators and administrators are struggling with the issue of why only 24.7% of our nation's community college students are motivated enough to stick through several years of education in order to graduate. What is it that only a quarter of these community college students have that the others do not that drives them to achieve advanced education?The motivational factors that drive community college first language learners to achieve a level of advanced literacy is an important avenue of exploration. Such study will develop an understanding of many of the problems related to developing highly literate people (Boyd, 2002). Addressing this issue requires that we examine several things. First, we need to establish both a general definition of literacy. We also need detailed definition of what is meant by the term advanced literacy and how individuals use it in their everyday lives. Second, a look at various research studies that have drawn some type of correlation between general motivational factors and learning should be helpful. The focus here is on factors that operate outside of the classroom environment. Studies considered here dealt with motivational factors found within a classroom setting, and their findings must be applied to the motivational factors that are present when an individual is outside a classroom environment. Third, the article delves into the possibility of general motivational factors transferring over to advanced literacy learning. An informal inquiry was completed for the purpose of explaining this possibility. The fourth section of this article attempts to interpret the data collected from the informal study while at the same time establishing some level of understanding of (a) how motivational factors transfer to advanced literacy learners and (b) the goals which advanced literacy learners are trying to achieve ...

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