Assessing the factors deemed to support individual student intrinsic motivation in technology supported online and face-to-face discussions

Research has established that intrinsic motivation has a positive effect on learning and academic achievement. In order to investigate the phenomenon of intrinsic motivation in technologysupported learning environments, this paper investigates the factors deemed to support individual student intrinsic motivation in online discussions. A research model is presented based on research into motivation, and the specific areas of self-determination and curiosity provide a framework for the model. Mean scores for both online discussions and face-to-face discussions were compared using a twotailed t-test for the six constructs of perceived competence, perceived challenge, feedback, perceived choice, perceived interest, and perceived curiosity. Results from the study showed that online discussions provided significantly stronger mean ratings (t=3.2) for perceived choice than did face-to face-discussions, while online discussions gave somewhat significantly stronger mean scores for perceived competence (t=1.84) than similar face-to-face discussions. Feedback obtained identical mean scores for both online and face-to-face discussions, as did perceived interest, while the slightly higher differences in the online situation were not significant for perceived challenge (t=0.96) or perceived curiosity (t=1.19). Assessing the factors deemed to support individual student intrinsic motivation may assist in enhancing intrinsically motivated behavior in technology-supported learning environments. This would assist Web course designers and science educators to create online learning programs that best utilize students’ capacity for learning and academic performance. The Web, with no direct verbal face-to-face interaction, lends itself better to online discussion in a more structured manner by enabling students to communicate more comfortably with their peers and provides a more egalitarian environment, where participants share the same tools and opportunities to communicate. The creation of online learning programs provides students significant opportunities for learning, such as the extended exchange of ideas and expertise where students can read, respond to, or initiate comments in a virtual meeting space. Copyright © 2009 Informing Science Institute.