Group Self-Evalulation Primes for Autonomous Motivation in Collaborative
Learning
Abstract
We look at group work from a self-determination theory perspective and
argue that internalized motivation is the best condition for productive
collaboration. A perceived sense of autonomy plays an important role
herein. This autonomy is determined by the characteristics of the task
and the openness and acceptance of the group. Group dysfunction, or the
fear of it, impedes autonomy, even if the task context is fully autonomy
supportive. Means of uncovering the functioning of group members could
reduce dysfunction or lower the fear of it. Using a full scale intrinsic
motivation inventory, we measured the impact of group self-evaluation on
the quality of motivation over a 4-year period with a total of 355
participants in a collaborative learning project in high schools (K11).
We show that, compared to the control population, students exhibit a
much more internalized motivation profile, with effect sizes in the
range of medium to large for the different parameters. We conclude that
group self-evaluation primes students for autonomous motivation. We
suggest that the procedure should be applied systematically in
substantial collaborative projects.