Motivation theories and constructs in experimental studies of online instruction: A systematic review and directed content analysis (Preprint)

Abstract

Educators’ choices about how to design online instruction can influence learners’ motivation. To optimize learners’ motivation, educators must be capable of using effective motivational design strategies that target a breadth of motivational constructs (e.g., interest, confidence).

This systematic review and directed content analysis aimed to catalogue the motivational constructs that researchers have targeted in their experimental comparison studies of motivational design strategies for online instruction in health professions education. The authors sought to identify motivational constructs that have received attention in the field and those that are presently understudied, and thus should be the focus of future studies.

Medline, Embase, Emcare, PsychINFO, ERIC, and Web of Science were searched from 1990 to August 2022. Studies were included if they compared online instructional design strategies intending to support a motivational construct (e.g., interest) or motivation in general, among learners in licensed health professions. Two team members independently screened and coded studies regarding the motivational theories that researchers used to inform their studies and the motivational constructs they targeted with their design strategies.

From 10,584 records, 46 studies were included. Researchers tested motivational design strategies intended to make instruction more interesting, enjoyable, and fun (n = 23) far more than they tested motivational designs intended to support extrinsic value (n = 9), confidence (n = 6), social connectedness (n = 4), or autonomy (n = 2). A focus on intrinsic value beliefs appeared to be driven by studies that were not informed by any theory of motivation.

Researchers in health professions education have primarily focused on motivating learners by making online instruction more interesting, enjoyable, and fun. We recommend that future research investigate motivational design strategies targeting other high-yield motivational constructs such as purpose, confidence, and autonomy. Such research would help to generate a broader tool-kit of strategies for educators to draw on to support learners’ motivation in online settings.

PROSPERO registration number: #CRD42022359521