Does Motivation Matter for Conceptual Change: Developing Effective Qualitative Research Approaches

摘要

Amidst the growing spectrum of research focused on understanding the cognitive and motivational factors that impact how students learn, the field of engineering education lacks sound research on the methodological approaches used to study these complex constructs. The current study was intended to highlight some of the current concerns in studying complex ideas through the use of qualitative methodologies. This research lays a foundation for future work by helping us determine what questions to ask participants and how to ask them in order to tease apart their motivational beliefs and learning strategies for specific content-related problem solving. Recommendations include interviewer training on how to ask follow-up questions to motivation-related utterances.