Self-regulation of motivation : effects of goal setting and value reappraisal on motivation

In these studies we investigated main and interactive effects of two computerized self-regulation interventions on college students’ motivation and achievement in undergraduate introductory statistics courses. In both Study 1 and Study 2 students were randomly assigned to one of four groups within a 2 (goal setting - present or absent) x 2 (value reappraisal - present or absent) factorial design. The Goal Setting Intervention (GS) guided students in setting 2 distal goals, 4 proximal sub-goals and evaluating goal progress after 2 weeks. The Value Reappraisal Intervention (VR) presented messages about the importance of statistics and guided students in using strategies to explore the potential value of learning statistics. Findings from Study 1 suggested that the VR Intervention helped students positively reappraise the value of their statistics course immediately after the intervention and 2 weeks later, as evidenced by self-report measures. Study 2 replicated these findings and extended them to a choice-behavior measure of continued interest in statistics. This research helps broaden the literature on self-regulation by focusing on the self-regulation of students’ values.