I conducted a pilot study during the spring of 2014 as partial fulfillment of a Quantitative Research Methods course at Regent University. I wrote a critical paper entitled, Motivation, Innovation, and Collaboration: Student Response to Assignment Choice and Collaborative Learning Experiences to document my research project findings.

Abstract

The purpose of this pilot study was exploratory and sought to understand the dichotomy between current literature, which was suggestive of positive influence in student learning in both innovation and collaboration experiences with direct observational experience. Furthermore, this study sought to understand the relationship between innovation and student assignment choice along with collaborative learning experience as it related to student perception and beliefs in valuation. Because this pilot study was contained to a small sample population without normal distribution, nonparametric statistical analysis was chosen as the best tool for analysis of the survey data. The sample is not representative of a more diverse population where the results may prove more significant. The results illuminated the need for further research in affective learning as it intersects student motivation when it comes to innovation in the classroom, curriculum, and course design.

Keywords: Affective learning, motivation, innovation, collaborative learning