Motivational strategies to engage learners in desirable difficulties.

Abstract

Learning strategies that create "desirable difficulties" by slowing or hindering improvement during learning often produce superior long-term retention and transfer (Bjork, 1994;Bjork, 1999). Despite the desirability of difficulties for learning, many learners choose not to use the learning strategies and/or disengage when they are implemented by a teacher. Knowledge of these learning strategies is necessary but insufficient for behavior change-learners must be motivated to embrace or, at minimum cope, with difficulties. To identify ways to help students engage with learning strategies that produce desirable difficulties, the present article briefly reviews five areas of psychological research on motivation that provide strategies for increasing engagement and persistence: finding value, reducing cost, reframing appraisals and attributions, creating appropriate challenges, and providing choice. Looking forward, there is a clear need for empirical work to investigate and theoretical frameworks to explain the interplay between motivation and learning strategies that create desirable difficulties.

Desirable difficulties in theory and practice.

“…Zepeda, Martin, and Butler (2020) focus on a challenge that appears explicitly or implicitly in a number of the other essays in this special issue: How to get learners to embrace and employ desirable difficulties in managing their own learning. Years ago, we thought—somewhat naively—that simply showing the benefits of incorporating desirable difficulties would be enough for students and others to introduce such difficulties into their own learning.…”

The Review on the Role of Ambiguity of Tolerance and Resilience on Students’ Engagement

“…Since numerous educators not only in different fields of study, but also in language education have acknowledged the trials of keeping learners engaged and concentrated on the ways to deal with in case of any challenges and demanding situations ( Mercer and Dörnyei, 2020 ). It has been stated that those learners who are more involved in their classroom are likely to have theoretical information, employ practical learning approaches, accomplish high educational results, begin sensible social interactions, and enjoy pleasing motivational prominence in the classroom, so the improvement of consistent and applied approaches and tactics for learners’ engagement in class has come to be significance for scholars ( Zepeda et al, 2020 ). Subsequently, a new line of psychology, labeled positive psychology (PP) which stands for postmodern psychology tries to focus on the way to increase the learners’ engagement ( Zakeri et al, 2010 ).…”

Classroom Contexts, Student Mindsets, and (In)Equity in Computer Science: A National Longitudinal Study

“…While several mindsets are predictive of student outcomes, the one that stands out as having longer-term effects is students' sense of personal relevance to the course materials and worries about the lack of experience in CS. This suggests an opportunity for early intervention to help students realize the potential utility value of academic training in computing (Hulleman et al, 2010) and see any perceived lack of CS experience as a learning opportunity and not an obstacle (Zepeda et al, 2020). Note.…”