Intensifying the intrinsic motivation by differentiating the teaching strategies in higher education

• Author: Tulbure, C.
• Position: Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Transilvania University of Brasov
• Pages: 97-102

Bulletin of the Transilvania University of Braşov

Series VII: Social Sciences • Law • Vol. 4 (53) No. 2 - 2011

INTENSIFYING THE INTRINSIC

MOTIVATION BY DIFFERENTIATING

THE TEACHING STRATEGIES

IN HIGHER EDUCATION

Cristina TULBURE1

Abstract: Learning motivation represents one of the most im portant

predictors of academic achievement in higher education. In this em pirical

study, we have imple mented a formative program to improve the university

students’ academic achievement and their intrinsic learning motivation. To

fully use t heir intellectual potential, students were treated according to their

learning style, thro ughout one academic year. When we considered the

within subject design, both intrinsic motivation and academic achieveme nt

significantly increased at the end of the study. Only intrinsic motivation

proved t o be significantly higher for the between subject comparison.

Because our formative program proved to have a signif icant impact on

students’ learning motiva tion, we recommend the differenti ated teaching

strategies to improve the academic achievement in higher education.

Key words: learning m otivation; academic achievement; learning styles;

differentiated instruction.

1 Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Transilvania University of Braşov.

1. Introduction

As an internal variable having a support

role in releasing and encouraging the

individual behaviour, motivation

conditions the efficiency of the learning

activity and implicitly the academic

achievement. For the question ‘What are

the solutions we may find in order to

intensify the intrinsic motivation within the

frame of the instructional process?’, the

specialists in t he field of school and

university psycho-pedagogy offer a

possible answer: differentiated instruction.

The specialty literature consigns numerous

studies that underline the significant

impact of differentiated instruction upon

the learning motivation of pupils and

students [3], [6], [13-16]. More than that,

there is considerable research

demonstrating that differentiating

instruction according to individuals’

particularities contributes to the

improvement of the level of academic

achievement [1], [2], [7], [8]. For example,

the studies designed by Lewiss and Batts

[apud 13], disclose significant increase in

pupils’ performances as a consequence of a

5-year differentiated instruction program.

Thus, if before the differentiated

instruction the pupils’ results in summative

testing at the end of the school year

indicated a promotion rate of 79%,

consequently to the differentiated