Professor Dr. Andrew Martin

New Generation Approaches to Student Motivation and Engagement: What are the Research and Practice Benefits of Bringing Educational, Psychological, and Biological Methodologies Together?

Andrew J. Martin

Scientia Professor and Professor of Educational Psychology

University of New South Wales, Australia

Professor Martin begins this presentation with a summary of seminal motivation and engagement theory and research. Key dimensions of student motivation and engagement are described, along with a brief review of some of the more “traditional” (typically self-report) approaches to conducting research into these dimensions. However, there are limits to these approaches and there are now opportunities for a “new generation” of research that collects data in innovative ways to progress research and practice into student motivation and engagement. Accordingly, Professor Martin shares details of an ongoing research program into motivation and engagement harnessing real-time technological, pharmacological, hormonal, and physio- and neuro-psychological methodologies. Augmenting traditional motivation and engagement research with new generation approaches to data capture has significant scope to progress what we know about student motivation and engagement. Alongside directions for future research, Professor Martin discusses practical implications of these findings for educators seeking to optimise students’ academic development.