The Implicit Theories of Brazilian University Teachers on the Motivation of Their Students to Learn

Abstract

Motivation to learn is an important psychological process at all levels of formal education. Therefore, it is useful to know what teachers and students think about this psychological process if one seeks to achieve a more effective higher education. The present study aimed to analyze the implicit theories of university professors of teacher training courses on the motivation of their students to learn. In-depth semi-structured interviews were carried out with 32 professors from public and private universities in the area of education in Brazil. The interviews were recorded, transcribed and subjected to content analysis, based on the conceptual framework of the implicit theories about teaching and learning. The results suggest that teachers mostly adopt interpretive theory, which is in agreement with previous studies. In addition, the responses classified as Direct Theory tend to blame the characteristics of the students, while those of the Interpretive Theory tend to include the learning context as an influencing factor in motivation. These data, which are clarified through the presentation of fragments of the answers, suggest the need to build more elaborate conceptions about motivation.