Motivation

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Motivation refers to the reasons behind our behaviors. It drives us to pursue goals, remain persistent in the face of challenges, and achieve success (Cook & Artino, 2016). Understanding motivation and applying motivational strategies in the classroom can lead to better engagement, improved academic performance, and more positive attitudes toward school.

Motivation is often categorized into two types: intrinsic and extrinsic. Intrinsic motivation comes from within the individual. It is driven by personal interests, curiosity, or enjoyment of the task itself. Extrinsic motivation comes from outside the individual. It is driven by the external rewards or punishments that children receive based on their actions (Morris, Grehl, Rutter, Mehta & Westwater, 2022). For example, imagine that you have two students in your class completing a math game. The intrinsically motivated student may want to successfully complete the game because they like math or because they are interested in understanding the game. The extrinsically motivated student may want to successfully complete the game so that they can earn a sticker on their behavior chart or because they want a good grade in your class. Although both students may have the same goal – successfully complete the math game – their reasons for pursuing that goal, the strategies they employ to achieve it, and their willingness to persevere will all likely be impacted by their differing motivations.

Students’ motivation to achieve can also be influenced by their expectation of success and the value they place on their success (Shang, Moss, & Chen, 2023). For example, if a student has low self-efficacy in their science abilities, they may have a low expectation of getting an A on their science test. Suppose the student has also decided, through their own reactions to personal experiences or through the words or attitudes of others, that they are not interested in science. In that case, the combination of a low value for success and a low expectation for success will result in a lack of motivation to study for the test. Students with low expectations for success are more likely to devalue those tasks or integrate their low self-efficacy into their self-concepts (e.g., “I’m not good at science”). In contrast, students who have high self-efficacy and value success on a task are likely to be more motivated to do what it takes to do well on the task in the future (Lent, Brown, & Hackett, 1994).

As teachers, it can be helpful to understand what motivates your students so that you can provide encouragement and support in the classroom.  This can be achieved directly by incorporating rewards for individual students or the class as a whole for meeting specific goals.  Teachers can also use their understanding of motivation to try and improve outcomes for individual students who are struggling by providing targeted feedback and interventions related to self-efficacy and motivation.