PSY 355 Week 1 Theories of Motivation Example

Why Finish the Degree Now? Three Theories of Motivation Applied to a Returning Adult Student

[Student Name]

University of Phoenix

PSY/355: Motivational Processes in Human Psychology

Week 1 Assignment

[Instructor Name]

[Date]

The student described is a composite written for a model paper; research findings come from the sources listed.

Motivation refers to the processes that start, direct and sustain behavior toward goals. Psychologists have explained it in many ways: as a push from biological drives, a pull from rewards, a product of beliefs and expectations or a result of needs for growth and connection. This paper compares three influential theories and applies them to one returning adult student.

The Student

Malik is twenty-nine and coordinates shipments for a logistics company in Phoenix, Arizona. At twenty, he left a community college to work full time when his father became ill. Nine years later, with his family more stable and a promotion requiring a bachelor's degree, he enrolled in an online psychology program. His first two courses, on human behavior and lifespan development, went well; he found himself analyzing his coworkers and his own children. His third, a required statistics course, has been a struggle. He has fallen behind, avoids logging in and wonders whether he is "just not a math person."

Self-Determination Theory

Ryan and Deci (2000) proposed that people are naturally inclined toward growth and learning when three basic psychological needs are supported: autonomy, the sense of acting by one's own choice; competence, the sense of handling challenges well; and relatedness, feeling connected to others. When all three are supported, people show more intrinsic motivation, engaging in activities for their own interest, and they also take in the value of tasks that are not inherently interesting. When the needs are thwarted, motivation becomes controlled by pressure or reward, or it disappears.

Applied to Malik, the theory explains both his strong start and his slump. His early courses supported all three needs: he chose the topics that interested him, he succeeded and he discussed ideas with classmates. The statistics course thwarts competence, as he feels lost, and autonomy, as it is required and structured rigidly. Relatedness is weak, since he has not connected with anyone in the course.

Expectancy-Value Theory

Eccles and Wigfield (2002) reviewed research on how beliefs about ability, expectations of success and the value placed on tasks shape choices, persistence and performance. In their model, people are motivated when they expect to succeed and when they value the task, whether because it is interesting, important to their identity, useful for future goals or worth the cost in effort and time. Expectancies and values are shaped by past experiences, by others' beliefs and by how people interpret their successes and failures.

For Malik, the degree's value is high: it is useful for his promotion and important to his identity as someone who finishes what he starts. His expectation of success in statistics, however, is low, shaped by a bad experience in high school algebra. The cost is also high, as the course takes time from his family. Low expectancy and high cost can undermine effort even when value is strong, which fits his avoidance.

Goal-Setting Theory

Locke and Latham (2002) drew on roughly 35 years of laboratory and field research to show that hard, clearly defined targets outperform easy targets and the familiar advice to "do your best." Such targets focus attention, raise effort, lengthen persistence and push people to search for better methods. Gains depend on commitment, on regular feedback and on having the skill the target demands; for complex tasks that require new skills, learning goals can work better than performance targets.

Malik's current goal, "do better in statistics," is vague and gives no feedback. A specific learning goal would serve him better: complete two practice problem sets each week and attend one live tutoring session, tracked on a simple chart.

Malik values the degree enough to enroll at twenty-nine; what he lacks in statistics is not desire but the expectation that effort will pay off.

Comparing the Theories

The three theories emphasize different elements. Self-determination theory focuses on the quality of motivation, whether it comes from interest and endorsement or from pressure, and the conditions that support it. Expectancy-value theory focuses on beliefs: what people expect and what they value. Goal-setting theory focuses on how goals translate motivation into action.

They agree in several places. All three suggest that Malik's sense of competence matters: self-determination theory calls it a need, expectancy-value theory calls it expectancy and goal-setting theory treats ability and feedback as conditions for goals to work. They differ in what they recommend. Self-determination theory points to the learning environment, such as choice and connection. Expectancy-value theory points to changing beliefs about success. Goal-setting theory points to structuring action.

Limitations of Each

Self-determination theory explains the quality of motivation well but gives less guidance on specific steps. Expectancy-value theory explains choices but can treat beliefs as more rational and stable than they are. Goal-setting theory can backfire when goals are too narrow or when people pursue them at the cost of learning, and it says less about why people value goals in the first place.

Older Theories in Brief

Drive reduction theories explain motivation as a push to relieve biological tension, useful for hunger or thirst but weak for pursuing a degree. Maslow's hierarchy captures the idea that basic needs, such as Malik's family's stability, can crowd out higher goals, but research has not supported a strict order in which needs must be met. The three contemporary theories offer more testable explanations for Malik's situation.

What the Theories Suggest Together

Combined, the theories suggest a plan. Malik could raise his expectancy by starting with manageable practice and tracking progress, which also supports his sense of competence. He could increase relatedness by joining a study group or attending live sessions. He could connect statistics to his interests, analyzing data from his own workplace, which adds value and autonomy. And he could set specific weekly learning goals with feedback. Later weeks of the course will examine his self-concept and how he explains success and failure.

Conclusion

Self-determination theory, expectancy-value theory and goal-setting theory each explain part of Malik's motivation: the needs that fuel or drain it, the beliefs that shape his effort and the goals that channel it. Applying all three to one person reveals both their overlaps and their distinct contributions and points to practical steps for his statistics course.

References

Eccles, J. S., & Wigfield, A. (2002). Motivational beliefs, values, and goals. Annual Review of Psychology, 53, 109-132. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.psych.53.100901.135153

Locke, E. A., & Latham, G. P. (2002). Building a practically useful theory of goal setting and task motivation: A 35-year odyssey. American Psychologist, 57(9), 705-717. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.57.9.705

Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being. American Psychologist, 55(1), 68-78. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.55.1.68