Effects of person versus process praise on student motivation: stability and change in emerging adulthood

This study examined the effects of person praise and process praise on college students' motivation and how these effects change as students progress through their undergraduate years. Hundred and eleven college students worked on three puzzle tasks and received either person praise, process pr...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Educational psychology (Dorchester-on-Thames) 2011-08, Vol.31 (5), p.595-609
Main Authors: Haimovitz, Kyla, Henderlong Corpus, Jennifer
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Academic Ability
Academic Achievement
attribution
Classroom Techniques
College students
Developmental Stages
emerging adulthood
Learning
Motivation
Positive Reinforcement
praise
Psychological Patterns
Puzzles
Self Concept
Student Motivation
Studies
Task Analysis
Undergraduate Students
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Summary:This study examined the effects of person praise and process praise on college students' motivation and how these effects change as students progress through their undergraduate years. Hundred and eleven college students worked on three puzzle tasks and received either person praise, process praise, or no praise. Following subsequent failure, students reported on their intrinsic motivation, perceived competence, performance attributions and contingent self-worth. Results indicated that process praise enhances intrinsic motivation and perceived competence more than person praise, and that these effects vary as students advance toward their degree. While person praise decreased motivation for sophomores and juniors, process praise increased motivation for seniors; freshmen reported no significant differences in their motivation. Implications for classroom practice and the need for research that considers developmental differences within college samples are discussed.
ISSN:0144-3410
1469-5820
DOI:10.1080/01443410.2011.585950