Abstract

The purpose of this chapter is to suggest strategies to aid researchers as they explore the social factors that contribute to children's motivation. These suggestions are based on three general principles: (1) children actively participate in the processes by which social factors shape their motivation; (2) the social context includes multiple dimensions and multiple levels; and (3) the elements in the equation, namely the social context and children's motivation, as well as the mechanisms that connect them, change with development. From this perspective, children are assumed to be active in selecting, initiating, interpreting, and provoking interactions with multiple and changing social partners and their proxies. A strong theoretical perspective on how these interpretations – for example, experiences of self-determination or helplessness – influence children's motivation then allows researchers to move “backward” to an identification of the broad dimensions of social interactions (such as autonomy support or chaos) that are expected to have an impact on children's interpretations. As a next step, researchers can try to analyze the multiple pathways through which social partners communicate these dimensions to children. In describing each of these steps, I suggest how sensitization to the possibility that these processes are developmental may guide the direction of research. I then use the work described in Chapters 5, 6, and 7 of this volume to illustrate how these principles can add to the study of the social factors that shape children's motivation.

Introduction

Parents and educators know that children's motivation is shaped by their social contexts.