Sustaining motivation and academic delay of gratification: Analysis and applications

To be academically successful, students need to delay gratification, sustain motivation, keep a high level of self-efficacy, and maintain an appropriate balance within their hot/cool cognitive-affective system. The cognitive-affective personality system includes 5 cognitive-affective mediating components (i.e., individuals’ way of encoding themselves and situations; expectancy for success and beliefs; affective responses, emotions, and feelings; goals and values; and competencies and self-regulatory plans), and it is the theoretical framework that guides this article. Consistent with the theme of this special issue and by focusing on college students, I present applications of motivational theory to educational practices for each of the 5 cognitive-affective mediating components with particular attention to a hot-cool system analysis of delaying gratification. The article describes specific motivational practices that could advance existing knowledge and enhance teaching, learning, and performance among college students. The article provides practical applications about how teachers could promote motivation when assigning long-term projects.