goals

As I read Alderman the theories of motivation are all starting to run together and overlap. Because if one element of motivation lacks the rest are effected. Self- worth, attributes, self efficacy, and goals are interelated. Goals are important for anyone in any profession, sport, family, school exc... because it is the essence of making things better. Big goals are always followed by small goals. The steps it takes to get to one place to another and then finally the big place, the distant GOAL. I was a very luck child growing up in the world of figure skating. I was competitive on the national level and setting goals were always part of my daily workout... it wasn't the physical workout that tired me at the end of the day, it was my goal setting. Thinking about breaking down and synthesizing the big goal to come up with smaller ones was a challenge. Because I always wanted it all! It is challenging to work backwards from the ultimate goal back to what I was going to do tomorrow in training that would help get to the distant goal. Self efficacy and self worth were important because if I didn't believe I could reach my weekly monthly goal, my performance and training were effected because in the end.. it is your mind... and what you believe in!!! The hardest thing I had to learn is to believe in myself:) once I did that goals were accomplished, not without challenge, and I saw progress and attributed my task accomplishments to success... it only took my 15 years to do that.

Negative or Positive Thinking

Some claim that “negative messages have an even greater influence on lowering efficacy expectations than positive messages do on increasing efficacy.” Do you agree? Why or why not?

I agree that negative messages have a greater influence on lowering efficacy. I believe it has greater impact because if you look at Alderman on pg. 72 the most important to self efficacy is Task Accomplishment. If the task is not completed then vicarious experiences, verbal persuasion, and physiological states become negative. Then the person who has failed the task startes to doubt there ability and effort can be compromised. If the task is complete then the sources are positive which improves self efficacy then the person can believe there ability is strong. failing has a bigger impact because it distrupts effort and self worth. Self worth is important in any thing and efficacy is very important in sports. Think about learning goal and performance goal and competitive sports. sports pyschology is interesting to think about when referring to failing or winning.

motivated or unmotivated

I am trying to sit here and read until my head comes off for these online courses I am taking this summer. And all I have to say, it is testing my own motivation and my ability to stay focused. It is hard when teachers (professors) aren't there to facilitate the discussion and motivate me to deeper thought.... ahhh my own self efficacy and the perspection of my own ability is fading after 5 hours in one place:)

inner city and motivation

This article is an in depth analysis of the predictors of achievement and motivation of inner city children. It is a study around the self efficiency theory and early childhood education http://www.jstor.org/stable/20152704

Member Project is headed up by Geoffery Canada, and I have been looking at his commericals. He really relates to inner city life and there is a way to make a difference and have the ability and effort to do so. It is more effort and the learning goal he is talking about and not performance. He says "change one block at a time" . http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMZb-9EKbbY

a commercial worth a lot

Copy and paste into your browser. This will give you the chills if you want to make a difference.

qualitive research and human motivation

After reading the article, Midgely, C., Arunkumar, R., & Urdan, T. C. (1996). "If I don't do well tomorrow, there's a reason" and looking over my other online course qualitative research course I had an ah ha moment. I want to propose what motivates children to learn? I work with primary children and I know in Midgely(1996) they focused on middle school because there are cognitively aware of self handicapping strategies, but as a younger child their is motivation to learn and are there inhibitors at a young age (family, socio economic status, social development) to learn excluding special needs. I think these two classes will help me identify more clearly what I would like to research more in depth and understand my students.

Human Motivation 1-Intro

This will be an interesting tool to use throughout the course. If anyone is savvy with blogging please I would be interested in learning more. This human motivation course seems interesting and motivating me to learn more how to reach out to people in the course that can help me expand my knowledge and learn more.