Motivating Learners: A Primer for Engineering Teaching Assistants

Although motivation in the classroom is often neglected in graduate student training, most instructors and TAs intuitively understand that motivation is critical for effective learning. These intuitions are corroborated by the research on motivation and learning that consistently shows that students do not learn well unless they are motivated to learn. In this paper, we present the basics of motivation theories, their impact on student learning and their implications for teaching engineering. It is a primer of motivation theories and how they can be used to inform and direct TAs work with engineering students. This primer was developed from the perspectives of a researcher of the preparation of future faculty and a developer of teaching assistant training programs.