Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Abstract

This article examines motivational potentialities in remedial mathematics education within an ethical context, applying a model for ethical decision making in education developed by Shapiro and Stefkovich, in which three broad ethical categories are discussed: the ethic of justice, the ethic of care, and the ethic of critique. These ethical categories are applied to two broad categories of motivational strategy: motivation by intervention and motivation by policy. It is argued that individual interventions risk encroaching on student autonomy and are ethically contravened, whereas motivation-based regimens—such as graded homework, graded tests, and required tutorials—are recommended if they may be implemented in a way that privileges a standardized placement examination as the ultimate criterion for successful remediation.

Keywords

developmental mathematics teacher—student relationship student motivation teacher discretion ethics

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Astin, A. ( 1999). Student involvement: A developmental theory in higher education. Journal of College Student Personnel, 40, 518-529. (Original work published 1984)

Bahr, P.R. ( 2008). Does mathematics remediation work? A comparative analysis of academic attainment among community college students. Research in Higher Education, 49, 420-450.

Bean, J.P. , & Metzner, B.S. ( 1985). A conceptual model for nontraditional undergraduate student attrition. Review of Educational Research, 55, 485-540.

Brothen, T. , & Wambach, C.A. ( 2004). Refocusing developmental education. Journal of Developmental Education, 28, 16-22, 33.

Cabrera, A.F. , Castaneda, M.B. , Nora, A. , & Hengstler, D. ( 1992). The convergence between two theories of college persistence . Journal of Higher Education, 63, 143-164.

Chene, A. ( 1983). The concept of autonomy in adult education: A philosophical discussion. Adult Education Quarterly, 34, 38-47.

Day, P.R., Jr. , & McCabe, R.H. (1997). Remedial education: A social and economic imperative. Washington DC: American Association of Community Colleges.

Findlay, M. , & Cooper, H. ( 1983). Locus of control and academic achievement: A literature review. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 44, 419-427.

Garcia, T. , & Pintrich, P. ( 1996). The effects of autonomy on motivation and performance in the college classroom. Contemporary Educational Psychology , 21, 477-486.

10.

Gilligan, C. ( 1982). In a different voice. Cambridge, MA : Harvard University Press.

11.

Jackson, P. ( 1968). Life in classrooms. New York Holt, Rinehart, and Wilson.

12.

Kohlberg, L. ( 1981). The philosophy of moral development: Moral stages and the idea of justice (Essays on moral development, Vol. 1). San Francisco: Harper & Row .

13.

Lipsky, M. ( 1980). Street-level bureaucracy: Dilemmas of the individual in public services. New York: Russell Sage.

14.

Shapiro, J. , & Stefkovich, J. (2005). Ethical leadership and decision making in education (2nd ed.). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.

15.

Starratt, R.J. ( 1991). Building an ethical school: A theory for practice in educational leadership. Educational Administration Quarterly , 27, 185-202.

16.

Tinto, V. ( 1975). Dropout from higher education: A theoretical synthesis of recent research. Review of Educational Research, 45, 89-125.

17.

Tinto, V. ( 1993). Leaving college: Rethinking the causes and cures of student attrition (2nd ed.). Chicago : University of Chicago Press.

18.

Weiner, B. ( 1979). A theory of motivation for some classroom experiences . Journal of Educational Psychology, 71, 1-25.

Ethics and Motivation in Remedial Mathematics Education

Abstract

Keywords

Get full access to this article

References