The students enrolled in an introductory microcontroller course completed a survey designed to measure their motivation levels and the sources of that motivation.  The survey instrument is based on the SIMS (Situational Motivation Scale) and is utilized to determine the student’s level of intrinsic motivation, identified regulation, external regulation, and amotivation.  A statistical analysis was then conducted to explore the results of the investigation.  Part of this exploration is the relationship between the students’ performance (grades) in the course versus their levels of motivation. 

Background information on student motivation including a brief review of motivation theory is presented, along with the survey instrument and the statistical methods utilized to analyze the results. The descriptive statistics from the investigation are presented along with a discussion of the results.

Jeff Richardson (Purdue University, USA)

10.17.19: 10:30-Noon, Room 7