EFFECTIVE TEACHING STRATEGIES FOR INTRINSICALLY MOTIVATING SECONDARY SCIENCE STUDENTS by Jacob L. Patchen A Project Submitted to the Faculty of The Evergreen State College In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the degree Master in Teaching 2010 i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I wish to thank everyone who has supported me during this endeavor. I owe a particular debt of gratitude to my family for their patience and understanding during the entire process of creating this paper. My level of stress and emotional health were highly assuaged by the presence and support of all my loved family and friends. I would also like to thank the entire 2008-2010 MIT cohort for their honest feedback, enriching ideas, and irreplaceable perspectives. In particular, I owe a huge debt of gratitude to Drs. Terry Ford and Sonja Wiedenhaupt for their expertise, guidance, and unyielding support. iii ABSTRACT This paper examines current research in order to identify effective teaching strategies for intrinsically motivating secondary science students. Review of the history reveals that teaching practices have been largely based on behaviorist principles which fail to acknowledge the individual and their inner motivational resources when it comes to learning and schooling. Critical analyses of the literature resulted in numerous promising strategies with two major findings. First, teacher practices that support student autonomy are effective in intrinsically motivating secondary science students. Second, overall teacher practices that promote a mastery goal orientation are effective for promoting intrinsic motivation in secondary science students. The findings imply that teachers must move towards a more student-centered approach to teaching, allowing students to take on a more active role in their learning and the classroom. Suggestions for further research are provided in order to identify teacher strategies and practices that will promote and support the intrinsic motivation of secondary science students. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS TITLE PAGE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I APPROVAL PAGE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii ABSTRACT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Rationale. . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Controversies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Definitions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Limitations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Summary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 CHAPTER 2: HISTORICAL BACKGROUND. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Early Beginnings of Intrinsic Motivation . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . …
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