Online Publication of Undergraduate Studies 2019, Volume 10, Issue 1
Contextual Factors on Motivation
The Effects of Familial and Community Factors on System-Involved Adolescent Girls Alexa Montemayor and Khirad Siddiqui
Motivation is one of the most studied constructs in the field of psychology, with literature ranging from theories of reinforcement and self-determination, to studies of its ability to predict engagement (Turenne & Pomerol, 2013; Walker, Greene, & Mansell, 2006). As theoretical models of motivation evolve, it is increasingly important to consider factors that influence individuals’ motivation, such as home, school, and social contexts (Van Der Helm, Kuiper, & Stams, 2018). While these external factors have emerged as predictors of the motivation of individuals more broadly, their influence on a specific population, such as system-involved girls (i.e., girls involved in the juvenile justice system), are less widely-understood (Van Der Helm et al., 2018). Yet, exploring the motivation of system-involved girls through a widely-encompassing and less internally-focused lens is important, since their motivation to engage in more prosocial behaviors may shape their interactions with legal systems such as court or probation, which places high emotional and physical demands on these individuals (Flores, Hates, Westbrooks, & Henderson, 2018; Gatz & Kelly, 2017; Herz, Ryan, & Bilchik, 2010; Javdani, Sadeh, & Verona, 2011; Maschi, Hatcher, Schwalbe, & Rosato, 2008; Sattler & Thomas, 2016). Additionally, examining girls’ motivation is particularly important, as their incarceration rates have drastically increased in the past two decades, while boys’ rates have decreased or remained stagnant (Javdani et al., 2011). While there is a plethora of research that explores boys’ delinquent behaviors, there is limited research explaining the recent spike in girls’ incarceration rates. Thus, the specific factors that motivate girls, who come into contact with legal systems through different pathways than their male counterparts, are important to consider in order to work towards reducing their system-involvement (Gorman-Smith & Loeber, 2005). Since an understanding of girls’ engagement in risky and delinquent behaviors is limited, this current study attempted to fill these gaps by using a central theory of motivation (i.e., SelfDetermination Theory) to examine the ways in which various aspects of system-involved girls’ interactions with others affect their self-determination and subsequent behaviors. The Construct of Motivation One widely-accepted theory of motivation is the SelfDetermination Theory (SDT), which argues that motivation is a basic human need that drives individuals to make certain choices and can be influenced by factors in social, professional, academic, and environmental contexts (Deci & Ryan, 2008). Central to SDT is the assertion that the highest levels of motivation are
characterized by a state known as “self-determination,” which can arise only when individuals are intrinsically motivated to initiate an activity because they want to, rather than for the purpose of obtaining an external goal (Deci & Ryan, 2008). While SDT was originally constructed to examine the motivation of adults, there have been modifications in the theoretical framework to include adolescents, especially in their home and community contexts (Ryan, 2001). For instance, literature on SDT and adolescents focuses on the pivotal role that key individuals (e.g., peers or parental figures) have on facilitating and scaffolding levels of adolescent motivation, as well as their self-determination through social relationships (Ryan & Deci, 2000). This support is achieved through distinct methods depending on the degree of closeness and the nature of the relationship involved, but some common methods include the encouragement of an adolescent’s autonomy, and acting as a reference point for the adolescent to model (Deci, Schwartz, Scheinman, & Ryan, 1981). Whether or not adolescents perceive their reference point as exemplary has implications for their subsequent motivation to achieve similar results as them (Deci et al., 1981; Luan et al., 2018). Once these key figures help scaffold adolescents’ motivation, they also help shape adolescents’ behaviors and self-determination (Deci & Ryan, 2008; Ryan, 2001; Sattler & Thomas, 2016). While these methods of facilitating motivation are specific to adolescents, they have larger implications in the framework of SDT. Since SDT positions individuals in their broader home and community contexts, relationships with their parental figures and peers are crucial in achieving the very state of self-determination that SDT is built upon. Once an individual reaches a state of self-determination, they are more likely to make more positive and prosocial decisions that lead to better behavioral outcomes in academic, and social, extracurricular arenas (Deci & Ryan, 2008). Additionally, SDT studies have found that higher levels of motivation and self-determination are associated with less deviant behavior, which is a crucial finding to apply to system-involved girls, as it may have implications for their involvement (Deci & Ryan, 2008; Ennett & Bauman, 1994). It is important to consider how SDT impacts system-involved girls specifically, to better interpret how social factors such as relationships, can work to either increase or decrease their motivation to engage in certain behaviors that may or may not lead to their system involvement. Peer Influence on Motivation Many studies of SDT and adolescents have significantly Research Studies and Briefs | 25
