Abstract

For the first time, the present study investigated the combined role of selfcontrol, motivation, and mental effort in predicting undergraduate students’ learning from a two-hour presentation-format higher education lecture. The study comprised 62 students, in a final-year BSc undergraduate Sports Coaching lecture, who completed questionnaires measuring: state self-control during the lecture; mastery approach and performance avoidance motivation towards learning the course topic; mental effort invested during the lecture; and content retention immediately after the lecture (i.e., learning). Moderated mediation analyses revealed that greater levels of state self-control (W variable) were necessary for students to transform their motivation (X variable; mastery approach or performance avoidance) into mental effort (M variable) to benefit their learning (Y variable) during the lecture. Avenues for applied interventions to motivate students and increase their self-control resources within higher education environments are discussed.

PRACTICAL ABSTRACT

The present study investigated the combined effect of various psychological factors on undergraduate students’ learning from a lecture; these factors comprised self-control (i.e., their ability to override impulsive behaviours), motivation (i.e., their drive to achieve), and mental effort (i.e., how hard they focus/concentrate). A total of 62 students took part in a 2-hour long lecture, completed questionnaires on the aforementioned psychological factors, and completed a test immediately after the lecture to assess their learning. Statistical analyses revealed that greater levels of self-control were necessary for students to transform their motivation into mental effort to benefit their learning. Potential applied interventions to motivate students and increase their self-control resources within educational environments are discussed.

Keywords: Higher Education, Lecture, Motivation, Ego-depletion, Learning, Self-control, Education, Teaching

How to Cite:

Owen, R., Blanchfield, A. & Gottwald, V., (2022) “Predicting undergraduate students’ learning from a lecture: The role of self-control, motivation, and mental effort”, Wales Journal of Education 24(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.16922/wje.24.1.4