Enhancing Motivation Strategies in a Mandatory University Geography Course

Abstract

This study investigates the effectiveness of innovative teaching strategies designed to enhance student motiva-tion and engagement in a compulsory Physical Geography of the Iberian Peninsula course taught to first-year history students at the University of Seville. The paper outlines the challenges faced in teaching large and diverse groups of stu-dents, and the need to develop instructional approaches that accommodate various learning preferences and academic backgrounds. The research evaluates the impact of the implemented strategies on students' perception of the subject matter, with a specific focus on the shift in rankings from the beginning to the end of the academic year. The findings demonstrate a significant improvement in students' appreciation for the subject, as evidenced by a decrease in the per-centage of students who ranked the course as their least preferred (from 40.7% to 4.9%) and an increase in the percentage who ranked it as their most preferred (from 0% to 11.1%). The study concludes that the adoption of motivational strate-gies, including active learning techniques, collaborative tasks, and personalized feedback, can lead to substantial improve-ments in student engagement and overall learning outcomes in a compulsory university course. The implications for teaching practice and future research are discussed.