Learning Performance in Classroom – An Evaluation Based on Career Planning and Guidance Courses in Minjiang University

Classroom efficiency in career planning and guidance courses is becoming the focus in higher education. Low classroom efficiency causes many consequences in graduates’ career life. Therefore, this study is conducted for an evaluation on learning motivation in classroom, which is based on ARCS model and quantitative method mainly in order to find out the solutions for the issue.
Key words: learning motivation, ARCS model, career planning and guidance courses

Background
In Minjiang University(Fuzhou, China), the career planning and guidance courses are public required course for freshman and senior students. The two courses are offered in the fall semester in the first year and last year of college since 2008. From more than a decade, there is no a systematic evaluation focus on these two courses. The case university pays more attention on employment rate rather than quality of courses. Therefore, the researcher attempts to conduct a quantitative-based questionnaire for 600 students who attend these two course. Also, a focus group method will be used in this case for collecting some qualitative data.

Literature review
Learning motivation
The word “motivation” is derived from a Latin verb “movere”, and it usually explains the reasons for human’s desires, needs and actions. Motivation can also be defined as one’s direction to behavior or what cause a person to want to repeat a behavior and vice versa (Elliot & Covington, 2001). Keller (2009) considered “motivation” as a person’s desire to pursue a goal or perform a task.

The researcher did a number of database research, and there are quite a lot of paper using learning motivation on “English learning” field, but career planning and guidance courses. Therefore, there is still a blue sea in the subject of career planning and guidance .

Attention Relevant Confidence Satisfaction model
John M. Keller (1979) proposed that external conditions could be constructed to promote learners’ learning motivation. The ARCS model is derived from an extensive review and synthesis of motivational theory, research and practice in psychology and education. The model assumes that in order for people to be interested in learning something, four conditions have to be met: attention(A), relevant(R), confidence(C), and satisfaction(S). First, their Attention or curiosity has to be aroused. Second, they have to perceive something Relevant to their own lives in the learning situation. Third, they have to have some degree of Confidence in their ability to succeed at the task. Finally, they have to feel a sense of Satisfaction or personal reward as a result of the experience.(Keller & Dodge, 1982). These four categories represent sets of conditions that are necessary for a person to be fully motivated, and each of these four categories has component parts, or subcategories , that represent specific aspects of motivation(Keller, 2000).

Research questions
Based on ARCS model, the researcher proposed 3 questions are as follows, trying to evaluate the learning motivation in career planning and guidance course as well as putting forward improvement measures.

Q1: Are the four conditions are satisfied in careering planning and guidance courses?
Q2: How do teachers enhance students’ performance based on ARCS model?
Q3: What are the learning motivation improvement measures come from this study?

Research Method
There will be a web-based quantitative survey, so that it allowed students to be able to participate in this survey from any location. Also, there are several open-end questions, so that students could provide their feedback about the career planning and guidance course experiences. Also, t a focus group meeting will be held during October 2019, including courses teachers and students. Coding and categorizing methods will be used after focus group meeting is held as well. The participants of web-based survey will be 300 freshmen and 300 senior students who come from different schools and majors. And the focus group meeting will separate the students and teachers, so that both of them are able to speak out freely.

Reference
Elliot, A.J. & Covington, M.V. Educational Psychology Review (2001) 13: 73. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1009009018235
Keller, J. M. (1979). Motivation and instructional design: A theoretical perspective. Journal of Instructional Development, 2(4), 26-34. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF02904345
Keller, J. M., & Dodge, B. (1982). The ARCS model: Motivational strategies for instruction. Unpublished manuscript, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY
Keller, J. M. (2000). How to integrate learner motivation planning into lesson planning: The ARCS model approach. VII Semanario, Santiago, Cuba, 1-13
Keller, J. M. (2009). Motivational design for learning and performance: The ARCS model approach. Springer Science & Business Media”

Ying Chen is a Ph.D. student of the Department of Education, National Chengchi University and a lecturer of Minjiang University. My research focuses on how would higher education policy impacts government to act, institutions’ management, and students’ learning. Also, I am interested in educational big data and trying to analyze policies by using data analysis tools.