In this seminar professor Nienke Van Atteveldt will present research from their lab in which they explore the relation between motivation and achievement, and the learning behaviors mediating this relation, which can be aimed at proving or improving oneself. A motivational construct relevant in this context is the mindset meaning system, or how children view themselves as learners and their ability to improve or not. For example, in one of their recent studies, they found that young adolescent’s mindset influences whether they choose easy or difficult math problems to solve. In some of their studies, they use person-oriented analysis approaches, which reveal mindset profiles that are more complex than fixed versus growth mindsets. She will also discuss factors influencing the motivation-achievement interplay at multiple levels (mind, brain, environment), and whether and how the ensuing cyclic developmental patterns may be diverted by interventions to improve motivation and academic resilience.
When: Thursday 23.5.2024 at. 10.00-12.00
Where: Minerva Room K108
Title: Proving or improving yourself: neurocognitive interplay between motivation, learning behavior and achievement
Abstract:
Motivation is thought to be important for learning, and students with low motivation can be a real concern for teachers. But the relation between motivation and achievement is bi-directional: performance also influences motivation, and this direction of influence seems even stronger than vice versa. In this talk, I will present research from our lab in which we explore the relation between motivation and achievement, and the learning behaviors mediating this relation, which can be aimed at proving or improving oneself. A motivational construct relevant in this context is the mindset meaning system, or how children view themselves as learners and their ability to improve or not. For example, in one of our recent studies we find that young adolescent’s mindset influences whether they choose easy or difficult math problems to solve. In some of our studies, we use person-oriented analysis approaches, which reveal mindset profiles that are more complex than fixed versus growth mindsets. I will also discuss factors influencing the motivation-achievement interplay at multiple levels (mind, brain, environment), and whether and how the ensuing cyclic developmental patterns may be diverted by interventions to improve motivation and academic resilience.
Bio:
Nienke van Atteveldt is University Research Chair professor of ‘Neuroscience & Society: Mind, Brain and Education’ at the Vrije Universiteit (VU) Amsterdam. She has a PhD in cognitive neuroimaging (Maastricht University, 2006). After her PhD, she obtained a Veni grant (Dutch Research Council) and a Marie Curie outgoing fellowship (EU-FP7) for a research project she conducted at Columbia University (New York, 2008-2011). In 2017, she received an ERC Starting grant to investigate underlying mechanisms of motivation and resilience in the school context, followed by a recently awarded Proof of Concept grant (2023). She is active in public outreach, for example by writing popular scientific books and columns. From 2019-2022, she was co-chair of the UNESCO MGIEP International Scientific Evidence-based Education (ISEE) Assessment. She is currently Vice-President of the International Mind, Brain and Education Society (IMBES), Editor-in-Chief of the npj Science of Learning and the Scientific Director of Research Institute LEARN! at the VU Amsterdam.