HOW INSTRUCTORS AND CLASSROOM CLIMATE CONTRIBUTE TO THE MOTIVATION OF FIRST-YEAR ENGINEERING STUDENTS

摘要

Student perceptions of faculty and Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs) are important factors for student retention and classroom engagement in engineering. As courses become more grounded in student-centered learning approaches through the addition of design projects, problem-based learning, and other student-centered learning activities, it is important that the interactions between the instructors and the students allow for a positive classroom environment. Grounded in self-determination theory, our study investigates the research question: How do students' perceptions of instructors and learning environments contribute to student motivation? Using a mixed-methods approach including surveys and interviews, we compare students' perceptions of faculty and GTA behaviors and the classroom environments that contribute to autonomy, competence, relatedness, and engagement in a first-year engineering course. Participants were surveyed at the end of their first-semester using a validated, pre-existing survey instrument. Using the survey responses, interview participants were selected to represent diversity in responses. Results show students' perceptions of instructor behaviors and classroom environment do have an effect on student engagement and motivation. The smaller size of workshops and nature of having a graduate student as an instructor allows students to interact with peers and the workshop leader more effortlessly. On the contrary, the larger lectures and having a faculty member as an instructor produces a more intimidating environment. The study shows that there are practices that can be implemented to further contribute to students' feelings of autonomy, competence, relatedness, and subsequently course engagement. For example, students found it easier to relate to professors that provided background information about themselves at the beginning of the semester.