Satisfaction: Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation in Engineering Writing Coursework

In this paper, we report the results of mixed-methods research on student learning motivation. We aim toward better understanding the roles and interactions of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation for students in engineering writing courses. We first present the results of the intrinsic and extrinsic orientation components of a Motivated Learning Strategies Questionnaire (MLSQ) that was completed by 455 students across 10 engineering disciplines, enrolled in one of seven engineering writing courses at two large public universities, and 16 students who participated in a follow-up interview. On survey items that probed students’ intrinsic and extrinsic goal orientations, students reported lower motivation in their writing class than their nonwriting class for items that concerned satisfaction for achievements within the course. Examining these depressions in students’ satisfaction revealed that many students found their classes too perfunctory to be intrinsically satisfying. The student interviews further suggested that grades must represent something meaningful to students if grades are to be satisfying extrinsic motivators. We conclude by providing practical ideas for educators that are suggested by our data.