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Learning Programming, Student Motivation

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Encyclopedia of Education and Information Technologies

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Student motivations have been extensively researched in general education; however, the topic has only been recently investigated in the context of learning programming. The major themes emerging from current research are:

  • Motivational factors are generally intrinsic or extrinsic.

  • How relevant students see their learning to their future careers can influence their efforts.

  • Some students are independent learners while others want to be taught.

  • Self-efficacy can influence the learning effort.

  • Students with growth mindsets are more likely to learn than those with fixed mindsets.

  • How students react emotionally to their learning can also be an influence.

Motivational Factors

Motivation is a student’s “willingness, need, desire and compulsion to participate in and be successful in the learning process” (Bomia et al. 1997). Motivational factors have been categorized into two broad groups: intrinsic and extrinsic.

Intrinsic motivation, also known as self-motivation, is the deep desire for...

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of BIT&L, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

    Francisca A. Adamopoulos

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  1. Francisca A. Adamopoulos
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Correspondence to Francisca A. Adamopoulos .

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  1. Victoria University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

    Arthur Tatnall

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  1. RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

    Bill Davey

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Adamopoulos, F.A. (2020). Learning Programming, Student Motivation. In: Tatnall, A. (eds) Encyclopedia of Education and Information Technologies. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-60013-0_182-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-60013-0_182-1

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