Abstract:

Since the most remote times, the human being has the need to teach and learn. As such, in the 1960s, teaching was carried out by a human who was the repository of information, in addition to books and documents kept in libraries: teaching was centered on the teacher. In real life, no technology was available to support you in your decisions. After 60 years, the repository has changed and the books and documents are available on the internet, consultable by anyone. However, the human being is still used and teaching, in most cases, remains centered on the teacher, although real life is now driven by technology and motivation.

An investigation was carried out to measure the difference between teaching using the traditional, teacher-centered (TC), method and teaching using the student-centered boosted by technology method (SCbT). The performance of the student's motivation and technical skills was analyzed. For this purpose, a sample of 109 students from a Portuguese business school was used; having been randomly distributed by each teaching method. Thus, they were submitted to the classroom teaching program and assessed for technical knowledge after class. The student's motivation and psychological maturity was assessed before class, along with the main sociodemographic variables (gender, age, nationality, parenting, siblings) and course. The student’s motivation was re-measured after class. Ordinary least squares models were estimated, and their significance evaluated.

The motivation was found to be significantly boosted by the technical performance of students. Statistical evidence was found about females along with older students being more motivated after Class and the SCbT method was found to have a significant impact on Motivation. Younger students technically performed significantly better than older ones. The motivation was found to be a significant learning booster. The TC students technically performed significantly better than SCbT students.

The increase in motivation for SCbT students was considered due to a teaching method close to real life, with the use of technology and discussion for learning purposes. On the other hand, the students’ lack of maturity may explain the worst technical performance of SCbT students with regard to TC students.

Keywords:

Competences, Learning, Motivation to Learn, Teaching Methods, Technology.