Intrinsic Motivation Post 2

Hannah

Another theory that may help describe Hannah’s situation, besides learned helplessness is attribution theory. According to attribution theory, humans try to interpret the events that occur based on past performances and social norms. In this case, Hannah knows that the social norm of the class is that she is expected to complete the problems on her own. She may have had past experiences where she has failed to do so, or has only succeeded with help from the teacher. Attribution theory involves a locus, which determines whether or not we are in control of our situations. Hannah most likely believes that no matter how much effort she puts forth, she will not be able to do the problem. Attribution theory also involves stability. Hannah probably attributes failure to the stable cause, “the problems will always be too hard for me to do on my own.” Attribution theory also includes controllability. In Hannah’s case, she probably believes that her failure is uncontrollable. Hannah probably has an entity view of ability, perceiving it as stable and uncontrollable. Her efforts will never change her ability. This negatively affects her motivation to learn.

The teacher could try to improve this situation by first being aware of the teacher’s views of ability. The teacher can also help to train Hannah to attribute her failure to the lack of effort rather than her ability. She can provide short-term goals and strategies to help Hannah reach those goals. Hannah’s teacher can also emphasize the value of learning. All these techniques can increase motivation.