Exploratory orientation: Motivation and identity processes in the service of learning and development

Avi Kaplan

Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel

Exploration, or the "active search for information, its examination, and evaluation in a self-reflective manner" (Flum & Kaplan, 2006, p. 100), has been underscored by several psychological literatures as a fundamental process which underlies adaptive learning and development. For example, the literatures concerned with adaptive attachment processes, identity formation, and career development all point to exploration as an essential process in growth, achievement, and well-being. In this address, I will present the notion of "exploratory orientation" as an important and desired educational goal (see Flum & Kaplan, 2006). We define exploratory orientation as the engagement in activities with the purpose of relating experiences to the self. I will describe the psychological processes that are involved in and which characterize exploratory orientation, and describe the advantages of exploratory orientation in the education of youth in contemporary societies. I will then point to the overlap, but also to the contribution, of exploratory orientation over and beyond other important concepts associated with adaptive engagement including mastery goals orientation, self-determination, interest, and self-regulated learning. I will argue that exploratory orientation goes beyond "positive" psychological concepts to encompass "constructive tension"—the facilitation of a constructive balance between positive and negative experiences—as a central adaptive mechanism for engagement in action and development of the self. Finally, I will draw on socio-cultural perspectives and meaning-making processes in order to highlight some principles for facilitating exploratory orientation in school settings.