Date of Award
2023
Degree Type
Restricted to Claremont Colleges Dissertation
Degree Name
Education, PhD
Program
School of Educational Studies
Dissertation or Thesis Committee Member
Delacy Ganley
Dissertation or Thesis Committee Member
David Drew
Dissertation or Thesis Committee Member
June K. Hilton
Terms of Use & License Information
Rights Information
© 2023 Steve A Pell
Keywords
community college, motivation, reading lab, Ryan and Deci, Self-Determination Theory
Subject Categories
Community College Education Administration | Education | Higher Education
Abstract
This qualitative case study investigated why some students were more motivated to go above and beyond the minimum requirements in terms of both time spent and activities completed in a self-paced reading lab at one Southern California community college. The methodology of the study utilized in person interviews with a sample of 30 participants. Each participant was asked the same ten questions associated with why they were motivated and what motivated them to go above and beyond. The researcher conducted and audio-recorded the interviews, coded the participants’ responses, and developed recurring themes to identify patterns and similarities in the opinions, experiences, and beliefs of the study’s population. The guiding theoretical framework of the study was Ryan and Deci's Self-Determination Theory (2000) of motivation. Through this framework, the study explored what roles autonomy, competence, and relatedness played as a driving force motivating these students go above and beyond the minimum requirements set by the institution. The study revealed that two types of motivation were present in this population: intrinsic and extrinsic. While some participants reveled that they were motivated by an outside reward, all 30 participants disclosed that they experienced intrinsic motivation to some degree. Their intrinsic motivational drive revealed their satisfaction and personal enjoyment when utilizing the self-paced reading lab. The study can be used as a starting point for further investigation on motivation and independent reading lab use at the community college level in other regional areas where the cultural diversity of the population may differ from this study and possibly provide more insight on motivation and self-guided learning. Key Words: motivation, reading lab, community college, Ryan and Deci, Self-Determination Theory
ISBN
9798381905052
Recommended Citation
Pell, Steve A.. (2023). Going Above and Beyond: Motivation in The Reading Lab. CGU Theses & Dissertations, 739. https://scholarship.claremont.edu/cgu_etd/739.
