Torn between study and leisure: How motivational conflicts relate to students’ academic and social adaptation.

Abstract

Research on motivational conflicts indicates that students' difficulties during studying may result from tempting alternatives in the leisure domain. In the present set of studies, we addressed the question of whether academic motivation inversely has negative spillover effects on students' leisure-related functioning, too. In the first 2 studies (N = 169 and N = 206), the self-regulatory impairment students reported after the decision for studying or socializing in a predefined study-leisure conflict was related to their general academic and social adaptation. Results provide 1st evidence for domain-specific drawbacks in students' functioning, depending on which activity is interfered in situations of motivational conflict. In a 3rd study (N = 358), we replicated these findings based on idiographic conflicts. Furthermore, motivational interference is introduced as a crucial process that may underlie such adverse effects. It is demonstrated that after the decision for a focal action, the motivational strength of foregone alternatives continues to influence students' self-regulation during both study and leisure activities. Findings are discussed with regard to the connection between study and leisure strivings, motivational conflicts, and academic motivation.

Studying against your will: Motivational interference in action

“…Even though learning is typically considered to be important in the long run, it is often experienced as momentarily tedious (cf., Galla et al, 2014). Hence, it is not surprising that students not only frequently report motivational conflicts during daily school-or study-related activities, such as homework (Riediger & Freund, 2008;Schmid et al, 2005), but additionally, that motivational interference effects have been demonstrated in this context Fries et al, 2008;Grund, Brassler, & Fries, 2014). For example, in an experimental setting, Fries and Dietz (2007) showed that students who were told of an attractive task (i.e., evaluating video clips) waiting for them after an initial learning task (i.e., reading medical texts) reported a worsened mood and higher distractibility during learning, and performed worse, compared to students who watched the videos first.…”

More than resisting temptation: Beneficial habits mediate the relationship between self-control and positive life outcomes.

“…The decision to not meet up with friends, for example, can linger in a student’s mind even while he or she tries to study (e.g., “Am I missing something fun?”, “Maybe I should meet up with them after all.”). Focusing on studying when simultaneously brooding over missed opportunities would be, at minimum, difficult; the quality of learning will be impaired and the student will likely not persist for very long on difficult material (Grund, et al, 2014). …”

Motivational sources of practical nursing students at risk of dropping out from vocational education and training

“…In addition, support for the need of relatedness and competence has also been shown to predict motivational outcomes (Lazarides, Rohowski, Ohlemann & Ittel, 2015), in a study by King (2015) peer rejection was related to disengagement from school and lower levels of achievement (see also Scheel et al, 2009). Another reason for low motivation is conflict between motivations (Grund, Brassler & Fries, 2014). It means that two or more action tendencies of similar motivational strength compete for limited resources, such as time or effort.…”