The potential power of “studygram”: Concrete visual representations may increase student motivation, engagement, and enjoyment of routine course assignments

• Published in: Psychology in the schools Vol. 60; no. 12; pp. 4841 - 4856
• Main Authors: Lussier, Catherine M., Ditta, Annie S., Speer, Annika C.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hoboken Wiley 01.12.2023; Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
• Subjects: Assignment; Assignments; College students; Distance Education; Distance learning; Education Majors; Enjoyment; Intervention; Learner Engagement; Learning Motivation; Motivation; Photography; Psychology; Student Motivation; Teaching; Theater Arts; Undergraduate Students; Visual Aids; Visualization
• ISSN: 0033-3085; 1520-6807
• DOI: 10.1002/pits.22936

Students are often unmotivated to engage with their online coursework. Research has shown that concretely visualizing one's goals (e.g., photo‐taking) can improve motivation to learn. This study explored the effect of taking a photo of one's study space (i.e., a studygram photo similar to a post on Instagram) on students' motivation to start, engagement with, and enjoyment of routine assignments. In a within‐subjects design, students took a photo of their study space before starting or after completing the assignment or took no photo. Data were collected from six undergraduate courses across three disciplines (Education, Psychology, and Theatre). Results revealed that students in an online Education course completing routine and formulaic assignments were significantly more motivated to start their coursework when they took a photo compared to when they did not. Results were similar for student engagement and enjoyment. Outcomes were replicated in the course's second iteration but were not found in the Psychology or Theatre courses. Differences between the courses' formatting may have lessened the impact of photo‐taking on students' experiences. Together our results suggest that motivation and engagement with routine coursework may be influenced by an easy‐to‐implement visualization intervention under certain circumstances. Potential implications for teaching are reviewed. When college students' motivation is low, they have reduced engagement and self‐regulation during coursework. Photo‐taking of one's study space during routine coursework can increase college student motivation, engagement, and enjoyment of their online work. Format (e.g., visual vs. text) and impact (e.g., high‐ vs. low‐stakes) of coursework may impact the effectiveness of the photo‐taking intervention.