Reversing the paradigm: Motivational fluidity predicts lower student engagement

Hudson, Joanne; Mason, Laura; Waters, Taylor; Thomas, Laura; Oliver, Emily

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Reversing the paradigm: Motivational fluidity predicts lower student engagement

Joanne Hudson

, Laura Mason

, Taylor Waters, Laura Thomas, Emily Oliver

Journal of Motivation, Emotion, and Personality: Reversal Theory Studies, Volume: 11, Issue: 1

Swansea University Authors: Joanne Hudson , Laura Mason , Taylor Waters

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Abstract

There is a need to enhance understanding of the dynamic process of student engagement in Higher Education (Shernoff, 2013) using methods that embrace intra-and inter-individual change and processes and a theoretical framework that offers a dynamic, intra-and inter-individual approach to interpret mo...

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Published in:	Journal of Motivation, Emotion, and Personality: Reversal Theory Studies
ISSN:	2331-2343 2331-2343
Published:	Reversal Theory Society 2022
Online Access:	Check full text
URI:	https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa60176

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last_indexed	2025-05-17T05:58:40Z
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This study used reversal theory (Apter, 2018) to investigate university students’ engagement and affect in relation to metamotivational state reversals during three large-group 50-minute lectures. 172 participants reported their affect at the start of the lecture, and affect, engagement and metamotivational state at three randomly chosen timepoints throughout each of three lectures early, mid and late semester. Where differences occurred, cognitive, behavioural and emotional engagement were higher and affect more positive/ less negative in non-reversers than reversers, with one exception: agentic engagement was higher in reversers than non-reversers during the final week (p < .05). Across all three weeks the majority of students reported no reversals (72.4-78.7%) and were mostly in the telic, conformist and autic-sympathy or autic-mastery states. Thus psychodiversity, based on our context-specific operationalisation, was observed but not widely demonstrated, and overall, did not appear to be beneficial. Curiously, the only benefit was in relation to an interactive form of engagement. Our findings suggest that most students matched their metamotivational states to the demands of the environment (see Apter, 2018). 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spelling	2025-05-16T10:35:55.0106751 v2 60176 2022-06-10 Reversing the paradigm: Motivational fluidity predicts lower student engagement 304341cf2cd1bdb99d7d6ccf0f030d99 0000-0003-4732-8356 Joanne Hudson Joanne Hudson true false ef88a9ba99af7706e3e80e418f482e0a 0000-0002-9679-7063 Laura Mason Laura Mason true false 1475590494d063822ec9e91e72e27d37 Taylor Waters Taylor Waters true false 2022-06-10 EAAS There is a need to enhance understanding of the dynamic process of student engagement in Higher Education (Shernoff, 2013) using methods that embrace intra-and inter-individual change and processes and a theoretical framework that offers a dynamic, intra-and inter-individual approach to interpret motivation, affect and behaviour. This study used reversal theory (Apter, 2018) to investigate university students’ engagement and affect in relation to metamotivational state reversals during three large-group 50-minute lectures. 172 participants reported their affect at the start of the lecture, and affect, engagement and metamotivational state at three randomly chosen timepoints throughout each of three lectures early, mid and late semester. Where differences occurred, cognitive, behavioural and emotional engagement were higher and affect more positive/ less negative in non-reversers than reversers, with one exception: agentic engagement was higher in reversers than non-reversers during the final week (p < .05). Across all three weeks the majority of students reported no reversals (72.4-78.7%) and were mostly in the telic, conformist and autic-sympathy or autic-mastery states. Thus psychodiversity, based on our context-specific operationalisation, was observed but not widely demonstrated, and overall, did not appear to be beneficial. Curiously, the only benefit was in relation to an interactive form of engagement. Our findings suggest that most students matched their metamotivational states to the demands of the environment (see Apter, 2018). Further inquiry is needed into psychodiversity and into a key aspect of reversal theory that needs attention: understanding how people control, or can be taught to control, their reversals (Apter, 2013). Journal Article Journal of Motivation, Emotion, and Personality: Reversal Theory Studies 11 1 Reversal Theory Society 2331-2343 2331-2343 Psychodiversity, metamotivational, affect, lecture, education 1 12 2022 2022-12-01 https://reversaltheory.net/journal/issue-index/ COLLEGE NANME Engineering and Applied Sciences School COLLEGE CODE EAAS Swansea University 2025-05-16T10:35:55.0106751 2022-06-10T15:00:06.1819047 Faculty of Science and Engineering School of Engineering and Applied Sciences - Sport and Exercise Sciences Joanne Hudson 0000-0003-4732-8356 1 Laura Mason 0000-0002-9679-7063 2 Taylor Waters 3 Laura Thomas 4 Emily Oliver 5 60176__34288__51abec89bf644682a3eaf3d47fe02d9d.pdf 60176.VoR.pdf 2025-05-15T15:22:44.5715740 Output 110599 application/pdf Version of Record true Released under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution, No Derivative Works license (CC BY-ND 3.0). true eng http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/3.0/
title	Reversing the paradigm: Motivational fluidity predicts lower student engagement
spellingShingle	Reversing the paradigm: Motivational fluidity predicts lower student engagement Joanne Hudson Laura Mason Taylor Waters
title_short	Reversing the paradigm: Motivational fluidity predicts lower student engagement
title_full	Reversing the paradigm: Motivational fluidity predicts lower student engagement
title_fullStr	Reversing the paradigm: Motivational fluidity predicts lower student engagement
title_full_unstemmed	Reversing the paradigm: Motivational fluidity predicts lower student engagement
title_sort	Reversing the paradigm: Motivational fluidity predicts lower student engagement
author_id_str_mv	304341cf2cd1bdb99d7d6ccf0f030d99 ef88a9ba99af7706e3e80e418f482e0a 1475590494d063822ec9e91e72e27d37
author_id_fullname_str_mv	304341cf2cd1bdb99d7d6ccf0f030d99_*_Joanne Hudson ef88a9ba99af7706e3e80e418f482e0a__Laura Mason 1475590494d063822ec9e91e72e27d37_**_Taylor Waters
author	Joanne Hudson Laura Mason Taylor Waters
author2	Joanne Hudson Laura Mason Taylor Waters Laura Thomas Emily Oliver
format	Journal article
container_title	Journal of Motivation, Emotion, and Personality: Reversal Theory Studies
container_volume	11
container_issue	1
publishDate	2022
institution	Swansea University
issn	2331-2343 2331-2343
publisher	Reversal Theory Society
college_str	Faculty of Science and Engineering
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hierarchy_top_title	Faculty of Science and Engineering
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department_str	School of Engineering and Applied Sciences - Sport and Exercise Sciences{{{_:::_}}}Faculty of Science and Engineering{{{_:::_}}}School of Engineering and Applied Sciences - Sport and Exercise Sciences
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description	There is a need to enhance understanding of the dynamic process of student engagement in Higher Education (Shernoff, 2013) using methods that embrace intra-and inter-individual change and processes and a theoretical framework that offers a dynamic, intra-and inter-individual approach to interpret motivation, affect and behaviour. This study used reversal theory (Apter, 2018) to investigate university students’ engagement and affect in relation to metamotivational state reversals during three large-group 50-minute lectures. 172 participants reported their affect at the start of the lecture, and affect, engagement and metamotivational state at three randomly chosen timepoints throughout each of three lectures early, mid and late semester. Where differences occurred, cognitive, behavioural and emotional engagement were higher and affect more positive/ less negative in non-reversers than reversers, with one exception: agentic engagement was higher in reversers than non-reversers during the final week (p < .05). Across all three weeks the majority of students reported no reversals (72.4-78.7%) and were mostly in the telic, conformist and autic-sympathy or autic-mastery states. Thus psychodiversity, based on our context-specific operationalisation, was observed but not widely demonstrated, and overall, did not appear to be beneficial. Curiously, the only benefit was in relation to an interactive form of engagement. Our findings suggest that most students matched their metamotivational states to the demands of the environment (see Apter, 2018). Further inquiry is needed into psychodiversity and into a key aspect of reversal theory that needs attention: understanding how people control, or can be taught to control, their reversals (Apter, 2013).
published_date	2022-12-01T05:00:23Z
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score	11.090091

Reversing the paradigm: Motivational fluidity predicts lower student engagement

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