The assessment and importance of volitional control in academic performance

• Main Author: McCann, Erin Joy
• Format: Dissertation
• Language: English
• Subjects: education, educational psychology
• ISBN: 9780599494824; 0599494824

According to action control theory, volitional control plays an important role in the learning process: that of protecting an intention to learn from distractions that threaten to disrupt on-task activity. Certain aspects of volitional control, specifically motivation and emotion regulation, are frequently neglected in studies examining the impact of self-regulatory action in academic goal-striving. Contributing to this situation is the lack of measurement instruments incorporating these constructs. The Academic Volitional Strategy Inventory (AVSI) was developed as an instrument to measure these self-regulatory actions. This study discusses the psychometric properties of the AVSI and findings with respect to the contribution of motivation and emotion regulation during the learning process.
Using a sample of 246 college students enrolled in four introductory statistics courses, the AVSI was found to display psychometrically sound properties according to various tests of reliability and validity. A three-factor structure emerged as best describing the underlying latent variables of the scale, highlighting three primary methods of regulating emotion and maintaining motivation: reassuring thoughts, stress-reducing actions, and negative self-talk
Results of an examination of the role of motivation and emotion regulation during the learning process indicated no direct predictive value of these volitional constructs on course grade. However, consistent with the conceptualization of volitional action as protecting the intention to learn during the goal-striving process, regression analyses pointed to their value in predicting the engagement of learning strategies while pursuing various course tasks. In addition, indirect effects were found indicating that positive effects attributable to motivational variables, such as goal orientation, on cognitive engagement were enhanced by volitional control.
The findings of this study lend support to the usefulness of the AVSI as a measurement instrument for examining volitional activity. They also provide evidence for the conceptualization of volitional action as protecting learning intentions from distractions that may threaten goal-directed activity during the learning process.