Can you help me with my Consumer Psychology homework on Student Engagement in Higher Education and the motivations behind them? I have attached both my proposal and rubric for the assignment.
Issue Analysis Selection: Comment by Vardeman, Christopher: 22/25 -3 points for various APA reference and citation errors. See below. I also ask that you rely more on scholarly articles and book chapters than web sources like Personio, Shaw, USC, etc. Interesting topic. I'm looking forward to reading your final paper. Be sure to keep the psychological aspects of student engagement as the focus of your paper. Emphasizing the emotional and cognitive factors you mentioned in this summary is a good way to make sure you're writing a review that's relevant to the topic of the course.
Motivations- Student Engagement in Higher Education
Consumer psychology plays a crucial role in understanding the thought processes and motivations behind a person's buying behavior and also plays an essential role in effective strategy for marketing (University of Southern California, 2023). It delves into the reasons why individuals make purchasing decisions and what factors drive them to make a particular purchase. These factors can range from emotional influences and social pressures to cognitive biases and personal motivations (Shaw, 2023).
Considering consumer psychology, I would assume motivation is an important factor to consider since motivation drives individuals to take actions such as purchasing a product. Depending on the individual and the context, emotions can be intrinsic or extrinsic. According to Personio (2023), intrinsic motivations are those that come from within, such as personal desires, needs, or aspirations. On the other hand, extrinsic motivations are external factors that influence behavior, such as rewards, incentives, or social recognition (2023). Comment by Vardeman, Christopher: It is!
The focus on education as an issue is important to research as students are increasingly being cast as consumers (Quinlan, 2021). This shift in perspective has significant implications for research and understanding what attracts individuals to seek knowledge. From a young age, attending school became a mandatory requirement for students. It starts in elementary school and continues through high school, laying the foundation for their education. However, once students graduate, the decision to pursue further education becomes more complex. Comment by Vardeman, Christopher: Haven't students always been considered consumers? You might want to explain and elaborate on Quinlan's point in more detail in your final paper.
There are several factors that may influence an individual's decision to continue their educational journey. Based on the research conducted by Li and Xue (2023), student engagement can be understood through three key factors: behavioral, emotional, and cognitive factors (2023). The behavioral factors encompass various aspects such as the level of effort, persistence, concentration, active participation through asking questions, and effective class communication (Li and Xue, 2023b). These factors reflect the visible actions and behaviors of students in their learning environment. On the other hand, the emotional factors of student engagement are related to the affective communication and practices that take place on campus. This involves the emotional connection and engagement that students establish with their peers, teachers, and the overall learning community (Li and & Xue, 2023c). These emotional factors play a crucial role in fostering a positive and supportive learning environment. Comment by Vardeman, Christopher: You should only use b and c in citations if you are citing different articles by Li and Xue that were published in the same year. Here, it looks like you're citing the same article three times.
Considering social identity theory as part of this discussion is important, as people are prone to self-categorize themselves according to a place/thing where they feel a sense of belonging, which may lead to higher levels of engagement. It is also possible that other factors such as "transitioning; financial issues; cultural issues; and staff buy-in" are just as important in determining engagement (Crabtree, 2023). Comment by Vardeman, Christopher: Good. In your paper, you may also want to elaborate on what social identity theory is and what its main arguments are. Comment by Vardeman, Christopher: You need a page number for verbatim quotes.
In conducting further research on the issue of student engagement, it is important to identify the methods currently being used that are decreasing student engagement. Then identifying strategies to be implemented for organizations and institutions to increase student engagement and, ultimately, increase revenue. Understanding the motivations of student consumers is essential for marketers to tailor their products, services, and marketing strategies to align with consumers' desires and needs.
References Comment by Vardeman, Christopher: -3 points. There are a number of APA errors in these references. You will need to reformat them and put them into APA style for the final paper (along with the other references you add later). I would also like you to find some more academic/scholarly sources, like journal articles or book chapters. The ones you list here are fine to start with, but you'll need to go deeper. USC's definition of consumer psychology and Shaw's description of the psychology of consumerism (for example) are not peer-reviewed, nor do they go into much detail. Same for Personio.
Crabtree, R. (2023). Barriers to student engagement: Why don’t University Students Engage? Student Engagement in Higher Education Journal. https://sehej.raise-network.com/raise/article/view/1156#:~:text=Results%20revealed%20that%20students%20agreed,%3B%20and%20staff%20buy%2Din.
Li, J., & Xue, E. (2023, January 9). Dynamic interaction between student learning behaviour and learning environment: Meta-analysis of student engagement and its influencing factors. MDPI. https://www.mdpi.com/2076-328X/13/1/59#:~:text=Student%20engagement%20involves%20three%20main,practices%20on%20campus%20%5B16%5D.
Personio. (2023, February 13). Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation: Difference & Best Practices. https://www.personio.com/hr-lexicon/intrinsic-and-extrinsic-motivation/.
Quinlan, K. M. (2021). Do higher education students really seek ‘value for money’?: Debunking the myth. London Review of Education, 19(1). https://doi.org/10.14324/lre.19.1.03
Shaw, J. (2023, July 28). The psychology behind consumerism. Kadence. https://kadence.com/en-us/the-psychology-behind-consumerism/#:~:text=Motivations%3A%20Consumer%20choices%20are%20often,in%20driving%20consumer%20decision%2Dmaking.
University of Southern California . (2023, May 12). What is consumer psychology?. USC MAPP Online. https://appliedpsychologydegree.usc.edu/blog/what-is-consumer-psychology/#:~:text=Consumer%20psychology%20examines%20consumers’%20perceptions,such%20as%20commercials%20or%20advertising.
