WP6f - teachers' capacity to motivate

WP6f: Improving teachers' capacities to motivate students -  introducing motivational theory to in-service-training of teachers.   The work-package from Aarhus University (AU) in many aspects parallels the work on motivation in WP6h and is linked to work-packages WP6c/d through an emphasis on dialogic influences on motivation.   The aim of the project is to provide a professional development package (deliverable 6.9) that facilitates teachers' acquisition and transformation of motivational theory into  practice. The package will be targeted towards in-service training of upper secondary science teachers in Denmark.    Theoretically the work will be based on contemporary motivational theory, first of all the seminal work of A. Bandura (e.g. Bandura (1997)) on motivational aspects of expectancies, particularly the notion of Self-Efficacy. Research has established  Efficacy-beliefs and science Self-Concept as the most important drives and influences on students' attitudes towards science (e.g. Krogh et al (2005)). Bandura originally emphasized enactive experiences, vicarious experiences, and verbal  persuasion as sources of efficacy. We extend his notion of "persuasion" to include the extremely important effects of feedback (e.g. Butler (1987)), by emphasising how teachers' dialogic practices (e.g. Mortimer et al 2003)) and ways of responding to  students, can facilitate or destroy efficacy and motivation.  The professional development package is intended to span 5 teacher training  sessions, and will be structured around a number (est. 10) of reflective and practical activities. The package will be tried out and evaluated in collaboration with Danish science teachers. Session materials and video-clips of participating teachers'  motivational practices will be included in the training package. (product 6.9)