Type of Document	Dissertation
Author	Kim, ChanMin
Author's Email Address	cmk04f@fsu.edu
URN	etd-11092007-150323
Title	Effects of Motivation, Volition, and Belief Change Strategies on Attitudes, Study Habits, and Achievement in Mathematics Education
Degree	Doctor of Philosophy
Department	Educational Psychology and Learning Systems, Department of
Advisory Committee	Advisor Name Title John M. Keller Committee Chair Amy L. Baylor Committee Member John K. Mayo Committee Member Robert A. Reiser Committee Member
Keywords	Motivation Volition Beliefs Attitudes Study Habits Mathematics Education Change
Date of Defense	2007-09-21
Availability	unrestricted
Abstract The importance of students’ motivation, volition, and beliefs has been recently emphasized in mathematics education. However, despite extensive research acknowledging students’ motivation, volition, and beliefs as critical factors for their attitudes, study habits, and achievement, there has yet to emerge a robust framework encompassing relevant theoretical foundations and empirical evidence. Moreover, much of the previous research has been conducted without an integrative view of the key constructs, and, as a consequence, tends to overlook the interconnectedness among the constructs. Given this gap, this study intended to build a conceptual framework for research on motivation, volition, and beliefs for the improvement of students’ attitudes, study habits, and achievement in mathematics education. The framework was grounded in a review of relevant theories and models as well as empirical studies. This exploratory experimental study focused on the cumulative effects of email messages designed in accordance with the framework, and, as a consequence, it provided an initial validation of the framework in the context of the design, development and evaluation of interventions in mathematics education. Specifically, this study investigated the effects of motivation and volition change strategies and belief change strategies as implemented with targeted email as personal and group messages on students’ attitudes, study habits, and achievement in a calculus course for non-mathematics majors. This study involved seven groups receiving one of the following treatments: 1) motivation and volition change strategies distributed via email with personal messages (MV-P), 2) motivation and volition change strategies distributed via email with group messages (MV-G), 3) belief change strategies distributed via email with personal messages (B-P), 4) belief change strategies distributed via email with group messages (B-G), 5) motivation, volition, and belief change strategies distributed via email with personal messages (MVB-P), 6) motivation, volition, and belief change strategies distributed via email with group messages (MVB-G), and 7) neither motivation and volition change strategies nor belief change strategies distributed via email (Control). Eighty four undergraduates enrolled in a calculus course were distributed among the seven treatment groups, and they received emails over a period of 8 weeks. Their attitudes toward mathematics were measured using pre- and post-tests based on the Fennema-Sherman Mathematics Attitudes (FSMA) questionnaire (Fennema & Sherman, 1976); achievement was measured by their grades on the first and second exams of the semester. Study habits of 52 participants from the personal message and control groups (i.e., MV-P, B-P, MVB-P, and Control) were measured using a survey, administered four times, asking how many total hours were spent studying calculus during the week before getting the survey from researchers. The general message groups (i.e., MV-G, B-G, and MVB-G) were excluded for the examination of study habits because their study hours were asked only once as described in the method chapter. The treatment effects on the dependent variables of attitudes toward mathematics, achievement, and study habits were examined using a one-way repeated measures ANOVA analysis. Also, Post Hoc analysis compared each group with the others using Fisher's Least Significant Difference (LSD) test. In addition, the graphs showing changes in each of the three variables were also analyzed. The results indicated that the use of belief change strategies with personal messages was effective in improving learners’ attitudes toward mathematics. Notably, change strategies with personal messages led to more positive changes in attitudes than those with general messages. A combination of motivation and volition change strategies and belief change strategies seemed to have had less impact on attitudes and study habits than either motivation and volition change strategies or belief change strategies but not both. No significant difference was found for achievement. Possible explanations for the findings are discussed in relation to the framework of this study constructed based on theoretical and empirical foundations. Limitations of this study are also described as are implications and possibilities for future studies.
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