Chapter 8: Examining Change in Motivation: The Potential of Sociocultural Theory

In schools, we often speak of motivating students or providing contexts that motivate students. This implies that the motivation of students changes (MacCallum, 2001a; Perry, Turner, & Meyer, 2006) in relation to learning and participation in particular settings. Importantly, it also implies that teachers and students’ peers are able to contribute to changes in students’ motivation. Although the literature on motivation is vast, few researchers have considered change in motivation or how motivation might develop over time. Recently, Turner and Patrick (2008) asked, “How does motivation develop and why does it change?” In this chapter, we first examine how change can be conceptualized. We then argue for the potential contribution of a sociocultural Vygotskian approach to understanding ways that motivation changes and develops in classrooms.