嬰兒至學齡前兒童精熟動機發展連續性及個別差異穩定性之探討

Abstract

兒童早期的精熟動機是較大年紀兒童成就動機的前身，亦是孩童學習及適應的有效預測指標，因此探討發展連續性及個別差異穩定性是精熟動機的重要議題。過去研究對精熟動機行為的界定範圍及測量方式，大多以內發性的精熟動機行為加總的變項導向為主，未能考慮精熟動機是社會情境脈絡下的目標導向與目標修正的行為系統。本研究旨在以立基於行為系統組織觀點、含納自我調節之動機行為向度的嬰幼兒精熟動機Q分類（Q-set of Mastery Motivation for Infants and Toddlers; QMMIT; Huang, Lay, & Chen, 2009）測量9個月及4歲孩童在結構性精熟任務的精熟動機，進而以追蹤資料檢驗嬰兒至學齡前孩童的精熟動機的發展連續性及個別差異穩定性。在發展連續性方面，本研究發現兩個年齡層之孩童具有共有的行為特色及各自的行為特色；隨著年齡增長，有些特定行為的顯著性維持一致性，有些則互有消長；孩童之整體精熟動機行為的組織分數及多數行為向度之平均水準有跨年齡的顯著差異，除對挑戰的負向情緒及行為反應呈現下降趨勢之外，其他指標皆為上升趨勢。個別差異穩定性方面則顯示，9個月及4歲孩童在精熟動機行為組織樣貌及各行為向度之群體內相對位置雖有其不穩定性，然對於學習經驗維持較少變動的孩童，卻可見於相同屬性作業的穩定性；而大部份孩童仍會維持與9個月時類似的精熟動機整體樣貌。最後本研究從行為系統組織及自我調節觀點，測量及發展探討研究結果。

Mastery motivation in early childhood is an indicative index predicting children’s learning and adaptation. Thus, to explore the continuity and stability of individual difference of mastery motivation has become increasingly important. A sizeable proportion of previous works measuring mastery motivation utilized variable-oriented approaches and focused solely on children’s independent effort in challenging situation. However, these studies lacked of taking other dimensions such as self-regulation effort, resourcefulness into account and ignored the fact that mastery motivation is a goal-directed and goal-modified behavioral system in social context. This study adopted “the Q-set of Mastery Motivation for Infants and toddlers” (QMMIT) which was developed on the organizational perspective of behavioral system to examine the continuity and stability of mastery motivation from infancy to preschool age. Forty-eight mother-infant pairs were recruited to participate in two sessions of problem-solving tasks in a structured mastery context when infants were 9- and 48- months respectively. Results indicated that there were both similarities and disparities in the behavioral characteristics of mastery motivation between the two ages. As children matured, the saliency of certain behaviors remained the same while others fluctuated through time. The mean level of organizational configuration and most dimensions of mastery behaviors increased over two ages. Yet the behavioral response and negative emotion in facing challenges declined through time. The analysis of the stability in the whole group revealed no individual-difference stability of the configuration of mastery behaviors. However, after taken children’s learning experiences into consideration, the stability was found in children who did not attend any kindergarten or talent class. In addition, most of children’s mastery motivation configuration demonstrated ipsative stability.