Canadian Engineering Students' Motivation in the Context of a Shift Toward Student-Centered Teaching Methods in an Outcome-Based Education

摘要

A recent transition to an outcome-based engineering education in Canada has prompted changes to instructional and pedagogical methods. Given that students can express a different degree of motivation depending on the course and on the learning activities within a course, there is a need to examine the motivational dynamics that drive the students in the learning process. Moreover, most studies on engineering students' motivation have examined motivational components independently. The purpose of this study is to analyze the joint contributions of student characteristics, their perception of instructors' attitudes and behavior when interacting with students, as well as their perception of the nature of the learning activities and their impact on student motivation within a course. The sample was composed of 215 students attending a francophone engineering school in Canada. Participants completed a questionnaire composed of 42 items from various existing instruments. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to predict the set of motivational components for this study. Instructors' attitudes and behavior, as well as higher-order cognitive tasks are significantly related to student motivational components, resulting in a positive impact on mastery goal, performance goal, task value, control beliefs, and self-efficacy.