Hybridizing Psychological Theories: Weighing the Ends Against the Means

In this commentary, I explore the contributions of the articles in this special issue from the vantage point of a theorist, researcher, and educator invested in student learning and academic development. First, I consider how these writings differentiate on the basis of the means authors applied to achieve the special issue goal of dismantling theoretical siloes and forwarding alternative models that strengthen the construct strains that exist in the educational psychology literature. Second, I position the articles in this special issue along a motivation-nonmotivation continuum, which describes the emphasis authors placed on motivation constructs and theories. Finally, I bring my ideas about these thought-provoking articles back to my personal investment in student learning and achievement to question the viability of the new theoretical variants that the contributing scholars have proposed.