Relationship between motivational regulation strategies and instability of motivation during class

Abstract

This study examined the relationship between motivational regulation strategies and instability of motivation during class. Eighty-two undergraduates at two universities participated via a self-reported questionnaire, which was administered at six time points during one class for a specific subject. The mean score of situational motivation was calculated as “level of motivation,” and the intraindividual standard deviation of these was calculated as “instability of motivation.” With self-efficacy, intrinsic value, and university as control variables, the results of the partial correlation analysis indicated that the level of motivation correlated positively with behavioral and emotional engagement. These results supported the validation of measuring situational motivation in this study. The results of the analysis indicated that instability of motivation correlated negatively with strategies of adding value to learning contents and focusing on performance. In other words, these results imply that the instability of motivation of undergraduates who were using motivational regulation strategies during class was small, and their situational motivation was steady. The effect of motivational regulation strategies during class on situational motivation was discussed.