Abstracts - Earli

this specific learning context has not yet been researched systematically, particularly with regardto motivational aspects. On the basis of two studies we examined how teachers organise theirexcurses to M/SC and which aspects of the visiting arrangements have a positive effect on thestudents’ self-determined and interest-based motivation. In order to identify situational features ofM/SC-visits beneficial for motivation, we conducted a postal-questioning of 1175 science teachersat 145 grammar schools (227 responded) in districts surrounding three prototypical M/SC. We alsoquestioned 344 students of 14 7th- and 8th-grade classes and their teachers after they had visitedone of the M/SC. The results of our studies illustrate on the one hand that M/SC-visits arefrequently used as social learning contexts. Additionally it is shown that social aspects, such as thecoorporative exploration of the M/SC, proved to be highly conducive to self-determined andinterest-based learning. On the other hand, there are still clear possibilities for a utilisationimprovementof M/SC as learning environments: it was exemplified that teachers were not able toadapt the arrangement of the individual visits to the educational goals they aimed at. Theimportance of these findings for both the necessity of further research in the area of using informallearning contexts within academic education and for educational practice is discussed in thiscontribution.G 2330 August 2007 08:30 - 10:30Room: 1.58SymposiumBeyond dychotomies: factors that influence motivation such ascompetition and cooperation and incentChair: Márta Fülöp, Institute for Psychology, Hungarian Academy of Sci, HungaryOrganiser: Márta Fülöp, Institute for Psychology, Hungarian Academy of Sci, HungaryOrganiser: Suzanne Hidi, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, Univer, CanadaDiscussant: Suzanne Hidi, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, Univer, CanadaThe main goal of this symposium is to present recent research findings related to the motivationalrole of competition, cooperation and incentives, and to demonstrate that the dichotomous view ofthese phenomena that has been the ruling axiom in educational psychology for several decades isnot longer sustainable. Just like in case of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation (e.g., Deci, 1975),mastery versus performance goals there have been values attached to cooperation and competitiontoo, cooperation being beneficial and competition detrimental to achievement and interpersonalrelationships in the classroom. More recently, researchers have argued that such dichotomies maynot provide the most beneficial, true pictures (Hidi & Harackiewicz, 2000; Fýlßp, 2005), and thatit is time to recognize the potential additional benefits of a more multidimensional nature ofhuman motivation. Underlying these dichotomies has been the question of rewards that have beenconsidered to be an aspect of extrinsic motivation and thus detrimental to learning. However,individuals may be pre-wired to want to receive rewards and to win, and the positive affectassociated with them may be a motivational force that educators can no longer ignore. Thisproposed symposium focuses on examining various conditions that can contribute to competitionand incentives to become powerful positive motivators of the learning process. Haraczkiewitz andCondly and Fýlßp draw on multiple studies to talk about competition and cooperation and the roleof incentives, Williams & Sheridan present qualitative research carried out in preschool examining– 423 –