Motivating Persistence In The Face Of Failure

Failure often presents a valuable learning opportunity, however, students may need motivational scaffolds to protect them from the negative psychological ramifications of failure. This work explored the effectiveness of a motivation-based intervention called an ego-protective buffer (EPB), that was designed to enhance persistence after failure. An ego-protective buffer (EPB) maintains a stable sense of competence by lessening the impact of failure on one's psyche. The specific instantiation of an EPB tested here was designed to elicit a combination of internal and external attributions for failure. External attributions protect one's sense of competence by averting the blame for failure away from the self, while internal attributions encourage students to take some responsibility for remedying the failure situation. Based on this theory, we embedded an EPB into the rule structure of a computer-based genetics game and unleashed it on 143 seventh graders. In the EPB condition, students were told that winning in the game was a probabilistic outcome, dependent on a combination of chance and skill on the part of the students. In the Control condition, students were told that winning in the game was a deterministic outcome, dependent on students' skill only. Students played the game during two class periods. Measures include pre- and posttests, motivational survey measures, and in-game behaviors. The EPB did have an effect on learning, but only amongst high-failing students. High-failing EPB students learned just as much as their low-failing counterparts. This was not so in the Control condition, where high-failing students learned far less than their low-failing counterparts. So the high-failing EPB group was behaving as if they were "buffered" from the effects of failure. We also found evidence of a possible mechanism behind this learning effect. In the high-failing EPB condition, students were equally likely to persist after success and failure, while in the Control condition, students were far more likely to persist after success, exhibiting risk averse behaviors. This difference was more exaggerated in a within-subjects comparison, contrasting the same individuals in situations of high and low failure. Finally, persistence after failure was associated with learning across the full sample of subjects. Regardless of condition or failure rate, students who persisted more after failure also learned more. This study, together with the author's related body of work, provides compelling evidence that an EPB is a viable intervention for encouraging persistence in the face of failure.

The research on human expertise and complex skill acquisition that Wlliam G. Chase performed in the decade between publication of the classic chess studies he conducted with Herb Simon in 1973 and his untimely and tragic death has proven profoundly influential and enduring. Its impact spans disciplines that include Psychology, Computer Science, Education, Cognitive Neuroscience, Medicine, and Human Factors. It has contributed significantly to the emergence of Cognitive Engineering and has led to significant applications in the areas of training and instruction and knowledge-based "intelligent" computational systems. Its influence can be seen in current discussions of intelligence, heritability, intellectual potential, and achievement found in the contemporary popular press. The chapters in this volume document the enduring scientific contributions of William G. Chase to current knowledge and understanding of human expertise and skill acquisition and applications his work has supported. It will be of interest to those researching, studying, and working in the multiple fields that were greatly influenced by Chase's work.

In this comprehensive overview, readers will gain a better understanding of the various theories, perspectives, and research that characterize contemporary themes in child development. The book uses a contextual approach to examine the biological, cognitive, social, and emotional foundations of child development. Special attention is paid throughout to the contexts in which development occurs, including families and the larger culture, and how these intersect with our changing society.

The main theme of this edited volume is on aspects of motivation that are of relevance and application to the teaching practitioner. It would also be useful to student-teachers, school administrators, tertiary education lecturers, educational researchers and school administrators. The collection of articles in this reader seeks to address one essential question: how can classroom-based research findings be used to improve the quality of teaching and motivation of students?

This third edition provides translations of all chapters of the most recent fifth German edition of Motivation and Action, including several entirely new chapters. It provides comprehensive coverage of the history of motivation, and introduces up-to-date theories and new research findings. Early sections provide a broad introduction to, and deep understanding of, the field of motivation psychology, mapping out different perspectives and research traditions. Subsequent chapters examine major themes of human motivation, including achievement, affiliation, and power motivation as well as the fundamentals of motivation psychology, such as motivated and goal oriented behaviors, implicit and explicit motives, and the regulation of development. In addition, the book discusses the roles of motivation in three practical fields: school and college, the workplace, and sports. Topics featured in this text include: Social Relationships and its effects on sexual or intimacy motivation. Conscious and unconscious motivators of behavior. Drives and incentives in the fields of achievement, intimacy, sociability and power. How the biochemistry and structures of our brain shapes motivated behavior. How to engage in intentional goal-directed behavior. The potential and limits of motivation and self-direction in shaping our lives. Motivation and Action, Third Edition, is a must-have resource for undergraduate and graduate students as well as researchers in the fields of motivation psychology, cognitive psychology, and social psychology, as well as personality psychology and agency. About the Editor: Jutta Heckhausen is the daughter of Heinz Heckhausen, who published "Motivation and Action” as a monograph in 1980 and who died in 1988 just before the 2nd edition came out. Dr. Heckhausen received her Ph.D. in 1985 from the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow with a dissertation about early mother-child interaction, and did her Habilitation in 1996 at the Free University of Berlin with a monograph about developmental regulation in adulthood. Dr. Heckhausen worked for many years at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development in Berlin, conducting research about the role of motivation in lifespan development. She is currently a professor of psychology at the University of California, Irvine.

The educational landscape for primary teachers and learners is increasingly digital and technology rich, making it a challenge for professionals to decide which digital technologies to use, how and when, to bring about the maximum benefit for learning and teaching. This book navigates this complex and evolving arena, providing a structure for teachers to reflect on their own digital literacy, helping them make informed decisions, providing practical ideas on how to develop children’s digital literacy capabilities and offering a range of professional development activities. The text makes clear links to the new primary curriculum, including the computing programmes of study. It is pedagogy led and illustrated with a range of subject examples. Chapters examine the implications of digital literacy for teaching and learning, creating content, collaboration and communication, digital citizenship, e-safety and digital safeguarding. Critical questions and reflections throughout stimulate readers to engage fully with the text and their professional development.

"Character" has become a front-and-center topic in contemporary discourse, but this term does not have a fixed meaning. Character may be simply defined by what someone does not do, but a more active and thorough definition is necessary, one that addresses certain vital questions. Is character a singular characteristic of an individual, or is it composed of different aspects? Does character--however we define it--exist in degrees, or is it simply something one happens to have? How can character be developed? Can it be learned? Relatedly, can it be taught, and who might be the most effective teacher? What roles are played by family, schools, the media, religion, and the larger culture? This groundbreaking handbook of character strengths and virtues is the first progress report from a prestigious group of researchers who have undertaken the systematic classification and measurement of widely valued positive traits. They approach good character in terms of separate strengths-authenticity, persistence, kindness, gratitude, hope, humor, and so on-each of which exists in degrees. Character Strengths and Virtues classifies twenty-four specific strengths under six broad virtues that consistently emerge across history and culture: wisdom, courage, humanity, justice, temperance, and transcendence. Each strength is thoroughly examined in its own chapter, with special attention to its meaning, explanation, measurement, causes, correlates, consequences, and development across the life span, as well as to strategies for its deliberate cultivation. This book demands the attention of anyone interested in psychology and what it can teach about the good life.

Please note: This text was replaced with a seventh edition. This version is available only for courses using the sixth edition and will be discontinued at the end of the semester. As the leading text in sport and exercise psychology, Foundations of Sport and Exercise Psychology, Sixth Edition With Web Study Guide, provides a thorough introduction to key concepts in the field. This text offers both students and new practitioners a comprehensive view of sport and exercise psychology, drawing connections between research and practice and capturing the excitement of the world of sport and exercise. The internationally respected authors have incorporated feedback from teachers and students to create a text that builds on previous editions, making the material accessible to readers. In-depth learning aids have been refreshed, including chapter objectives and summaries, sidebars, key terms, key points, anecdotes, and discussion questions to help students think more critically about applying the material. Other updates to the sixth edition include the following: • More than 40 new video clips integrated into the web study guide to better demonstrate the core concepts addressed in the book • Additional emphasis on hot topics, including mindfulness, cultural diversity, ethics and professional issues, and transitions in sport • New ancillaries to help instructors teach their courses, including an image bank, chapter quizzes, and more than 122 instructor videos • Updated references, including more contemporary sources The text provides students with a unique learning experience—taking them on a journey through the origins and goals, key concepts, research development, and career options available in the field—in seven parts that may be studied in any sequence. Following an introduction to the field, the text then shifts focus to personal factors that affect performance and psychological development in sport, physical education, and exercise settings. Situational factors that influence behavior, group interaction and processes, and the use of psychological techniques to help people perform more effectively are covered, as well as the roles psychological factors play in health and exercise. The final section deals with topics of psychological development and well-being that are important to both society and sport and exercise psychology, including children’s psychological development through sport participation, aggression in sport, and moral development and good sporting behavior in sport and physical activity contexts. The updated web study guide serves as an important learning tool to support the educational journey. With more than 100 engaging activities, it works directly with the text in guiding students to complete the related activities for each chapter and apply knowledge gained from the text. The study guide activities require students to do the following: • Use actual sport and exercise psychology instruments to assess their skills. • Determine how to respond to real-life scenarios (with short answers or essays). • Review research studies and experiments. • Search the Internet for relevant information. • Apply and test their understanding of principles and concepts of sport and exercise psychology. Many of the study guide activities offer compelling audio and video clips that provide an interactive look at how sport psychology consultants communicate with athletes and coaches to improve athletic experiences. These clips feature esteemed experts from the field discussing course concepts that they have studied and refined during their professional careers. To further emphasize practical application, portfolio activities can be integrated through a full semester, turning course units into a unified whole that builds upon itself for greater understanding of the field. To aid instructors, instructor ancillaries have been updated and expanded. The instructor guide, test package, and presentation package are now supplemented with an image bank, gradable chapter quizzes, and instructor videos, all available at www.HumanKinetics.com/FoundationsOfSportAndExercisePsychology. The updated sixth edition of Foundations of Sport and Exercise Psychology continues to ensure that students are well equipped to enter the field of sport psychology and are prepared for the challenges they may encounter as well as the possibilities. This text offers an enhanced and varied learning package to assist students in understanding the sport psychology field.