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UNDERSTANDING MOTIVATION 81Second, problems in knowing how to change can also stem from a
lack of self-control. Examples of self-control in the academic context
are self-instruction and attention focusing. Self-instruction or self-talk,
an important aspect of self-control, is an important strategy that can
help you guide your behavior. Research has shown that verbalizations,
such as how to apply a mathematical formula, can improve students’
learning (Schunk, 1982). We shall discuss the importance of self-
instruction or self-talk in chapter 5.
Attention focusing as another example of how academic self-control
helps to eliminate distractions and competing intentions, such as
recurring thoughts about past mistakes. Before you begin using a new
learning strategy, identify the specific behaviors you have to perform
and evaluate your performance as you proceed. For example, begin-
ning in chapter 4, you will find special “procedures” sections to help
you review the specific behaviors necessary for implementing a new
strategy. These strategies provide the specific behaviors needed to
change your behavior.
Finally, in the discussion of self-worth in this chapter, I mentioned
that some students are uncertain that they possess adequate ability to
succeed. As a result, they may actually handicap themselves by not
studying and using other self-defeating strategies to have an excuse
for failing that does not reflect poorly on their ability. Failing for a
reason such as not adequately preparing for an exam is less likely to
threaten self-worth than failing because of low perceived ability.
Garcia (1995) found that college students who used self-handicapping
strategies employed little practice and time-management strategies.
Self-handicapping provides a significant obstacle to the intention of
changing one’s academic behavior. Even though a student may believe
he or she can and wants to change, engaging in self-handicapping
behavior instead of using effective learning strategies can lead to less
successful academic outcomes. It is possible that through self-
handicapping, students who do not know how to change may actu-
ally start to believe that they cannot change. Here is a statement from
a student who is afraid to change:The only reason that I think I have not changed is because
I don’t know how to change my ways. I feel that I have
been studying and preparing for my tests and quizzes the
same way for so long that I am afraid that it will be too
hard to change, and if I try to change I might do worse with
the new way rather than the old way.In summary, there are many motivational factors that influence
your beliefs about changing academic behavior. The more you under-
stand the dynamics of change, the more you can learn to control your