Motivating Unmotivated Students

Motivating Unmotivated Students

Nicolle Donnelly

Advancement Courses

July 2023

Open Ended

What's one way you motivate your students in your classroom?

Students have differing amounts of motivation, attitudes toward learning, and kinds of motivation.

​

​Theories of Motivation

Expectancy Value Theory

• Theory of motivation that describes the relationship between a student’s expectancy for success at a task/goal in relation to the value of task completion/goal attainment

• Expectancy: refers to a student’s expectation for success on a given task

  • “I didn’t study for my last math test and failed. This time I studied, so I expect to do better on today’s test.”

• Values: refer to reasons for doing the activity

Goal Orientation Theory

• Students are motivated to complete a task when it satisfies a goal

• Performance goals: Students want to do better than others when given a task

• Learning goals: Engaging in a task that leads to mastering content

Self-Determination Theory

• Students are motivated to learn when they feel supported, competent, and autonomous

  • Supported when heard

  • Competent when challenged

  • Autonomous when taking initiative

• Relationship with intrinsic and extrinsic motivation

Match

Match the following theory to their focus.

• Expectancy Value Theory

• Goal Orientation Theory

• Self-Determination Theory

Student's expectation of success and the value offered

Motivated to participate in a task when it satisfies a goal

Students make decisions of what they will and will not do

• Student's expectation of success and the value offered

• Motivated to participate in a task when it satisfies a goal

• Students make decisions of what they will and will not do

Intrinsic motivation comes from within & extrinsic motivation comes from external factors

​

Intrinsic vs. Extrinsic Motivation

• Receive a reward for completing a task

• Effective, short-term effects

• Excessive use can foster dependency on teacher

Extrinsic Motivation

• Curiosity to learn something new

• Feeling of pride when completing a task/goal

• Results in high quality learning

Intrinsic Motivation

Intrinsic vs. Extrinsic Motivation

Multiple Choice

Which is an example of intrinsic motivation?

• Studying because you want to get a good grade

• 1. Helping others because you hope for praise

• Studying because you are curious about the topics

• Volunteering because it looks good on a resume

Multiple Choice

Which is an example of extrinsic motivation?

• Reading a novel to write a book report

• Working hard because you enjoy being good at it

• Saying thank you because you appreciate other’s help

• Playing the piano because you enjoy making music

• Positive behavioral changes

• Boosts productivity

• Can quickly increase motivation to complete a task

Extrinsic Motivation

• Leads to greater satisfaction and engagement

• Drives students to participate

• Promotes autonomy

Intrinsic Motivation

Benefits

• Does not last long

• Can repress intrinsic motivation

• No passion is created

• Easy to offer too much at times

Extrinsic Motivation

• Difficult to measure and evaluate

• May not be transferrable from one task to another

• Can lead to burn out or exhaustion

Intrinsic Motivation

Disadvantages

An approach to learning where students choose what to learn and how to learn it

Student-Centered Instruction

Student-Centered Learning

• Emphasis on project-based learning

• Deep connection between curriculum and student interests

• Assessment serves as a tool to measure learning and help students grow

• Provide meaningful feedback for students and families

• Lesson plans are tailored to individual students

• Provides flexibility and adaptability

• Provide structure

• Listen to and respect student's view

• Facilitate learning

• Ask open-ended questions

• Encourage shared decision making

Teacher's Role

• Active participants in learning

• Make own decisions

• Develop strategies for learning

• Collaborate with others

• Develop new knowledge from background knowledge

Student's Role

Roles in Student-Centered Learning

• Emphasis on thinking and understanding

• Students are encouraged to ask questions

• Collaborative activities

• Emphasis on learning and problem-solving

• Process is just as important as the outcome

Learning Orientation

• Focus on task completion

• Students produce work while teachers manage students

• Task demands

• Students work in isolation

• Mistakes are association with poor grades

Performance Orientation

Performance Orientation vs. Learning Orientation

Dropdown

Emphasis on thinking and understanding ​

Select answer

Encourages students to ask questions ​

Select answer

Focus on task completion ​

Select answer

Process is just as important as the outcome ​

Select answer

Students are workers who produce the work ​

Select answer

Motivated students are much more likely to achieve their potential and find success.

Motivational Models

ARCS Model

Attention, Relevance, Confidence, Satisfaction

• ​Students will be motivated if they feel they can be successful and that there is value in their learning

• Successful lessons should include participation, humor, student choice, and should relate to students' interests and goals

​https://educationlibrary.org/model-of-motivation-arcs-instructional-design/

Time Continuum Model

• Handbook for developing instruction that includes motivational and psychological research

• Critical periods of motivation:

  • Beginning of the learning process --> Attitudes and needs

  • During the learning process --> Stimulation and affect

  • End of the learning process --> Competence and reinforcement

https://www.cavendish.ac.uk/time-continuum-model-of-motivation/

Developing Grit

• Grit = student's work effort and perseverance

• Enables students to work hard to experience long-term success

• Improving students' grit:

  • Model habits for overcoming challenges

  • Set goals and reflect on progress

  • Create a safe environment for failure

  • Provide opportunities to make mistakes

Developing a Growth Mindset

• Belief that intelligence is not fixed - everyone can learn and improve their intelligence

• Encourages struggling students to become more motivated and ready to learn

• Improving students' growth mindset:

  • Reinforce the word "yet" in the classroom

  • Focus on effort not correctness

  • Set goals and reflect

  • Model an optimistic outlook on challenges

Dropdown

Gives up easily ​

Select answer

Avoids challenges to avoid failure ​

Select answer

Inspired by others' success ​

Select answer

Believes in lifelong learning ​

Select answer

Ignores feedback and takes criticism personally ​

Select answer

Classroom climate has an impact on motivation, learning, achievement, and satisfaction.

Creating a Positive Learning Environment

Promoting Self-Determination

• Process of teaching students to take charge of their attitudes, learning, and behaviors to help them develop strong self-esteem

• Strategies:

  • 1-2-3 Then Me

  • Recordings

  • Hint Cards

  • Question Chips

​Explanation of Strategies

Promoting Academic Risk-Taking

• Encourage peer-based learning --> Think-pair-share

• Scaffold based on individual student's needs

• Model academic risk-taking --> Encourage leadership roles

• Reward academic risk-taking

• Reinforce that making mistakes is part of learning

Cooperative Learning

• Students work toward a common goal

• Builds teamwork and responsibility

• Group students deliberately

• Allow students to reflect on their personal contributions and teamwork

Once you figure out what motivates your students, it's time to sustain it.

Classroom Strategies to Motivate Students

Peer Tutoring

• Students work in pairs to help one another learn/practice a concept

• Switch student roles so they can take turns being the tutor

• Three Models:

  • Same age

  • Classroom based

  • Cross age

• Benefits = Improved relationships, high academic achievement, increase motivation

Providing Choice & Creating Connections

• Allow students to feel satisfied with their learning

• Remind students of their successes when they feel challenged

• Make connections between effort and achievement

Creating Connections

• Allowing control over learning will help students become more responsible and interested

• Provide a list of assignment choices for students to choose from

Providing Choice

Goal Setting

• Explicitly teach study skills and have students set short-term goals to increase motivation

• PDSA Strategy:

  • Plan

  • Do

  • Study

  • Act

• Track student progress and have frequent check-ins to keep students on track

Open Ended

Thinking about your current class or future group of students, what are some motivational strategies that you have used or want to use?

Using all responses, we will create a toolkit for teachers to use when incorporating motivational strategies into future lesson plans.

References

Advancement Courses (n.d.) Motivating Unmotivated Students.

Howley-Rouse, A. (2020, March 11). 10 strategies that promote motivation. THE EDUCATION HUB. https://theeducationhub.org.nz/10-strategies-that-promote-motivation/

Kurt, Dr. S. (2022, October 17). Model of motivation: ARCS instructional design. Education Library. https://educationlibrary.org/model-of-motivation-arcs-instructional-design/

Long, K. (2020, February 18). 4 strategies for a student-centered classroom. GCU. https://www.gcu.edu/blog/teaching-school-administration/student-centered-strategies

Nickerson, C. (2023, April 12). Extrinsic vs. intrinsic motivation: What’s the difference?

Simply Psychology. https://www.simplypsychology.org/differences-between-extrinsic-and-intrinsic-motivation.html