Can current theories of motivation inform practice in educational contexts?
Seminar series sponsored by the British Psychological Society
Seminar 3 - Julian Elliott, University of Durham and Susan Nolen, University of Washington, USA
Wednesday 16th December 2009
Durham University
The third seminar will be concerned with an examination of the potential contribution to be made by motivation theory in considering the nature of psychological, as compared to sociological explanations of the nature of disaffection with and disengagement from schooling. Explanations of disaffection regularly make reference to a range of sociocultural factors (e.g. social class, ethnicity, gender, parental employment experiences) as predictors of disaffection with school and likely withdrawal from the process of schooling. It is not clear that psychologically based motivation theories would be able to explain very adequately at present the processes that might be involved here. This seminar will be based in Durham where Julian Elliott will take a lead in drawing out implications, for example, of motivation theory for the work of educational psychologists attempting to work with the disaffected and the disengaged. We will also have Susan Nolen from University of Washington as a participant in this seminar.
Timetable for the day
10.30 - 11.00 Arrival, registration and Tea/Coffee
11.00 - 11.50 Julian Elliott, Durham University
Introduction: "Understanding disaffection - what did
psychologists ever do for us?"
11.50 - 1.00 Susan Nolen, University of Washington, USA
"Explaining disaffection: challenges for psychological
theories of motivation."
1.00 - 1.30 Buffet lunch
1.30 - 2.45 Discussion groups: Here we will split the conference
down into smaller groups and each group can choose to
discuss issues relating to the target papers; the keynote
talk and/or issues related to the relationship between
theory and practice.
2.45 - 3.30 Plenary: The groups will report back and key issues will
be discussed during the plenary
How to Find Us
Details of how to find the Durham venue can be found by using the following link: http://www.dur.ac.uk/travel/todurham/
Registration for Durham Seminar
Email: Sheena Smith (Sheena.Smith@durham.ac.uk)
School of Education
Leazes Road
Durham University
DH1 1TA
Tel: (0) 191 3348403