Role of Parental Motivational Practices in Childrens Academic Intrinsic Motivation and Achievement (Gottfried)Article SummaryI chose to write my journal article research paper on the role of parents in childrens academic motivation and achievement.
The article relates the parents role and at home practices, and the effect of these practices on the childs performance and motivation. In the longitudinal study of children ages 9 and 10, two types of motivational practices were assessed: Parental motivational practices that encourage pleasure in the learning process, curiosity, persistence, and task endogeny are positively related to childrens academic intrinsic motivation and achievement. (Gottfried 105) Task-extrinsic parental motivational practices that emphasize external control, diminished autonomy, or devaluation of competence are negatively related to childrens academic intrinsic motivation and achievement. (Gottfried 105)The data observed and given in the article from mothers also provided information on which motivational practices are used, such as provision of rewards, help with schoolwork, encouragement, punishment and negativity for unsatisfactory achievement.
It is important to note that although the conceptual model was derived from theory and research pertaining to parents in general, the data collected in the article were solely on mothers. The findings of the research were that the predicted variables were proven positive, and there was a high correlation between parental motivational practices and a childs academic intrinsic motivation and achievement. The studys findings also proved that mothers provisions of task-extrinsic consequences had a negative effect on childrens academic intrinsic motivation, and were directly related. The study findings also showed that there were indirect effects on subsequent motivation and achievement through their effects on earlier academic intrinsic motivation. RemarksAfter reading the aforementioned journal article, I can only remark upon the fact that to me, this study seemed to only validate the obvious. I am in agreement with the findings to a point.
I do believe that if you make children interested and motivated in what they are doing then they will have a higher achievement rate then children who are bored with school. I believe that most parents have the knowledge of what they should and should not do to help in their childs academic performance but fail to achieve this task for many reasons. I do take into consideration, however; that although it may be detrimental to a students intrinsic motivation, in some cases to give rewards or encouragement, in other cases it is the only way some parents feel that they can achieve any form of motivation toward academic excellence in their child. After reading the article I understand that extrinsic motivation has a correlation to the lowering of intrinsic motivation in the child.
I agree with the positive methods of a parents motivational practices but take into consideration the day and age of our time, in the explanation of why these practices are not followed. In our fast-paced society, most parents struggle to stay afloat and the de-structuralization of our families has had a dramatic effect upon parent and child relationships. In addition, the average child has to struggle with added emotional problems such as, single-parenting, peer pressure, and abuse or violence. Typical parents have substituted their childs intrinsic motivation, interest, and natural curiosity in exchange for higher academic grades. Most parents today cannot find the time to sit down and eat with their children let alone spend the time to teach, and guide them with simple elementary academics.
The patience needed to help struggling children with their academics, seem to have become non-existent in most parents and this is why I believe that most parents would rather give out simple, minute rewards then spend the time needed to instill intrinsic motivation. Correlation of the journal article to the textbookThe correlation that I saw between the textbook and this journal article had to do with chapter 11 on Motivation. As the article touches upon the role of parental practices in motivating children, the book similarly talks about the teachers role in motivating the student and talks in a greater depth of how to motivate the student and the pros and cons of extrinsic motivation. The textbook also goes further on to talk about what exactly intrinsic and extrinsic motivations are, and gives examples of some students motivational influences, and/or lack .
