This paper provides a critique of the following study:
Brown, S. M. & Walberg, H. J. (1993). Motivational effects on test scores of elementary students. The Journal of Educational Research, 86, 233-236.
The purpose of this study was to determine whether "special instructions" designed to increase student motivation would result in higher levels of academic performance on the mathematics section of the Iowa Test of Basic Skills. The authors offer no direct and clear statement of their hypothesis which is a failing of the study. However, it is implied that they wish to provide a controlled empirical study in which they assume that an increase in n motivation will lead to higher levels of student academic performance on the test instrument.
Mertens (2004) points out that a solid justification for research is that it is an outgrowth of the existing knowledge. Using this standard for evaluation, it can be noted that the rationale for the study rested on existing studies indicating that American students were doing poorly in comparison to international students on achievement tests and lowered levels of motivation might be the cause. Thus, the rationale was an outgrowth of the existing research and, as such, seemed justified. However, it should be noted that the prior research cited was problematic (see: Review of the Literature section of this report) and, as such, places limitations on the rationale and justification.
Operationalizations: Independent and Dependent Variables
The Independent Variable of the study was the Motivation Variable with two levels: (1) standard level (the control group); and (2) Increased level (the experimental group). The dependent variable consisted of students' scores on the mathematics section of the Iowa Basic Skills Test. Brown and Walberg (1993) used the literature review to argue that telling students the test was very important lead to increased motivation and while there were a few stud...