Student Motivation Free Essays

Student motivation is a critical educational issue that districts all around the country should deal with on a daily basis. More and more students are unmotivated for several reasons, for example they might have problems at home, they lack good teachers, parents don’t encourage them enough or they just began to lose interest in school or don’t find school amusing. Students should be the main priority to a district or school but instead money is. We will write a custom essay sample on Student Motivation or any similar topic only for you Order Now Districts are so focused on saving money that they just don’t care much about their schools, and schools more often try to save as much money as they can since their city has cut how much money they are getting, thus impacting how schools handle their money. Schools in a desperate way to keep their school open have to make critical changes to how they run their school knowing that their staff and students will suffer greatly. Schools are now cutting off teacher’s salaries, they have shut down their transportation to students, they have to shut down during and after schools programs, they don’t buy new materials for students, and they have to close down tutoring for students who need it. All of this issues impact the students dramatically in on way or another. Teachers, more than any district or school wide programs, have the most power to motivate students because they’re on the front lines (Annie Condron). She explains that teachers can influence students in a way that kids can actually understand. She is a teacher and she gives ways in which other teachers can motivate their students for example to praise students in big and small ways, expect excellence, or assign jobs. I found these methods really interesting, it would be nice if my teachers could use 1 or more of them. Especially when giving students a job in the class, which they have to be present and be active everyday in order to keep it. Michigan was rank number 3 in teacher salary, with the average of $56,000 a year in 2006(Thomas White). But things have changed and now they are all getting paid less causing teachers to not put much interest in their job because of their income. Many teachers in DPS don’t care for their students, many of them just give out paper work or bookwork without explaining the subject. Students need teachers who will work with them and actually have expectations for them, teachers who would actually enjoy teaching and come with a positive attitude toward their students everyday. Perhaps one of the main reasons students are unmotivated is because of boredom (Ethan Yazzie-Mintz-HSSSE). This center measures engagement in the classroom, and identifies why or why not students find school stimulating. It found out, through surveys, that 66% of students surveyed in 2009 indicated being bored in class at least every day and in fact, only 2% of students reported never being bored. Boredom in class is caused from students not finding the materials interesting or relevant, finding work unchallenging, and listening to uninteresting lectures. This survey also allowed for students to put how they feel about school, with the majority criticizing teaching methods. I don’t find the work interesting, don’t enjoy being talked at, and hate that everyone teaches to standardized tests† said one of the students who were surveyed. The idea of education has always been to give a broad base of learning to students, but teaching to standardized test limits the way that information is presented, this type of education is designed to teach children to think only about tho se things that test makers have deemed important a decade ago when the test was being constructed (Allan Teal) he also states that â€Å"Current way that standardized tests are used does not measure the learning ability of the student. It only measures whether the school system is able to write curriculum that produces good test takers† this method will benefit average and below average students because they have less information to process, but above average and gifted students will be held back from ever achieving their potential because of the mediocrity of the information that they are exposed to. So this means that any goal of producing brighter and higher achieving young people cannot be reached. Sports, especially school sports, can be highly motivating for students to perform well in school and encourage them to attend school and try their best. Enhanced blood flow throughout the body caused by regular physical activity can improve a child’s mental sharpness and acuity† (R. Scott Kretchmar, a professor of exercise and sports science at Pennsylvania State University) he states that a person who moves well is also likely to perform well in school. Sports can also improve a child’s mi nd and body connection since they will need to train their mind to help their body react quickly and accurately on the sports field. So by doing sports students are training their mind to learn topics faster. Relatedly students who participate in school sports also have a higher chance of getting accepted to a good college while increasing their chance of getting more scholarships. Students who are in a school sport have to keep their grades steady all semester in order to remain in the team. â€Å"Many schools do not allow children to participate in school sports teams if they have failing grades. This policy can motivate students to go to class each day and do their homework regularly† (Eric Carson) in order for a student to remain in a school team they cannot go below the required GPA for the school. This statement is completely true since in my school, western international high school, students have to have a 2. 5 GPA or above if they want to remain in the team. If a student really enjoys playing soccer, baseball, basketball, or whatever their favorite sport is they have to try their best to not drop their grades, similarly if a student is not on a team but wants to be, they have to attend school and do their work in order to achieve their desired GPA. The environment of the school can also influence students to attend school. In some schools the environment is not the best. A better campus outside makes the school look more professional and a better learning environment for the student. A school with better grassland for sports, like soccer, can encourage the students to attend school and want to play a sport. All students would like to play in grass then in a hard substance. Many schools in Detroit or other districts don’t have good arenas where students can play their desired sport. Most of them have dirt land or cement where they let the students play all kind of sports. For basketball is fine since they play indoors, but what about soccer? Baseball? Softball? If they play those sports in cement or dirt they can get injured quick, or they cannot play to their fullest potential. So grassland can encourage students to give it their all and play in a construable place. Motivation is an extremely important for a student best determination. Schools have to find a way to motivate their students to perform well and try their best. They can offer reward to those who have good grades or good attendance. Teachers have the highest power to motivate students, they posses the power to change how they handle their class. They could make up fun activities for students to actually want to attend class, like giving jobs to students. They have to be positive all the time and show they love teaching and want each of their students to succeed in life. Parents also have an essential job to motivate their child, they can offer rewards for good grades or simply just talk with them and explain why school is such an important part of their lives. How to cite Student Motivation, Essay examples Student Motivation Free Essays Student motivation is an important aspect of education, students across all subjects in secondary education lack motivation. Students are intrinsically motivated to learn at an early age but as they get older they lose their intrinsic motivation. Teachers use extrinsic rewards in the classroom not to motivate but to regulate student behavior. We will write a custom essay sample on Student Motivation or any similar topic only for you Order Now Motivation is a dominant part of a students’ educational experience from preschool onward but it has received limited attention amongst an education reform agenda engrossed mainly on accountability, standards, and tests, teacher excellence, and school administration. As students move through the school system from preschool to high school they become more disengaged this eventually leads to more high school dropouts. It is very important that we know how motivation is perceived by students as well as teachers. This will give some indication as to the types of professional development that will provide teachers with strategies to help improve student motivation and engagement. This will be necessary if we want our students to be successful and become a function part of our society. Keywords: academic achievement, intrinsic reward, extrinsic reward, strategies, professional development and student autonomy Today many of our students are slipping through the cracks because of their lack of motivation, these students come to school every day sit in our classrooms and walk out of them not learning or attempting to learn. They are not motivated or engaged in our classes even though we utilize strategies to challenge, motivate and engage. Students’ motivation can influence what and how they learn. In turn, as students learn and perceive that they are becoming more skillful they are motivated to continue to learn. (Schunk, 2016). This is not the case for most of our students in the classrooms, it is up to the teacher to engage and be cognizant of how they learn. As children advance from preschool to elementary they demonstrate a great amount enthusiasm for learning, they are engaged and are eager for knowledge. Students during this timeframe are intrinsically motivated. However, students’ interest in learning and the desire to perform fades as the years go by, their intrinsic motivation decreases. The lack of motivation is the main reason why many students drop out of high school, they feel unmotivated and unchallenged. The lack of motivation in education is a valid and persistent problem that needs to be addressed. Recent studies look at the perception of motivation by students’ and teachers’ which from the students prospective indicates that their motivation stems from their interactions with their teachers and their social environment. This is a concept seen in Vygotsky’s theory of learning which dealt with the impact of the social environment and its influence on cognition. Vygotsky considered the social environment critical for learning and thought that social interactions transformed learning experienced. (Schunk 2016) Trending among these studies are student’s interactions with teachers and peers, the classroom environment, building relationships with teachers, teacher feedback and student autonomy over their learning. The research question examined in this paper is: What are students’ and teacher’s perceptions of motivation and engagement in grades 9-12? In exploring the perceptions of students and teachers this paper will address the effect of the social environment on student motivation and engagement in the classroom. Learning Theory Association The social cognitive learning theory is based on the concept that students learn by observing and modeling the behaviors of others. Students observe models, explain and demonstrate skills then practice them. (Schunk, 2016) It also discussed the importance teaching students’ strategies that will help them to learn how to control their behavior and direct their own learning. Self-efficacy refers to the perception of one’s capabilities to produce actions; outcome expectations involve beliefs about anticipated outcome of the actions. (Schunk, 2016) Students’ self-efficacy will shape their motivation for learning and goal attainment. The social cognitive theory is also based on the concept that people learn from their environment. The environment’s influence on behavior occurs when students look at a slide without much conscious deliberation (environment =behavior). Students’ behavior often alters the instructional environment, if the teacher asks questions and students give the wrong answers, the teacher may reteach the same points rather than continue the lesson (behavior = environment). (Schunk, 2016) Motivation engages students in activities that facilitate learning. (Schunk, 2016) Students may become more motivated by watching similar others succeed than by those who they believe are superior in confidence. (Schunk, 2016) Research indicates that most of the students attributed their engagement and motivation to their teachers. They expressed that their teachers motivated them, building a social relationship with their teachers led to them being motivated. (Seigle, Rubenstein Mitchell, 2014) The establishment of a positive social relationship fostered students’ engagement and motivation. Students also pointed to the fact that they related to those teachers who were passionate about their work, knowledgeable in their field and the method of delivery was interesting and interactive. (Seigle, Rubenstein ; Mitchell, 2014) Another negative impact on student motivation is teacher burnout. The emotional exhaustion of teachers contributed to a reduction of student motivation because it leads to low autonomy-supportive teaching, the conclusion was teacher burnout weakened student motivation because teachers influence students through instructional styles, and the emotions they show. Students’ perception of how their teachers feel about teaching can affect their motivation to learn. (Shen, McCaughtry, Martin, Garn, Kulik, Fahlman, 2015) Although motivation is boosted when students observe teacher giving praises and high grades others for hard work and good performances, motivation is sustained over time when students believe their own efforts are leading to better performances. (Schunk, 2016). A recent study indicated that students will exhibit encouraging social and academic motivation when their perception that their teachers and peers make available to them clear expectations, help and advice. The contribution of peers and teachers have a positive effect on student motivation. Providing classroom support, help, advice and instruction and the creation of a safe environment and emotional support all contribute to student academic and social motivation. (Wentzel, Battle, Russell, Looney, 2010) Utilizing an electronic gradebook, and a point system student were the autonomy over their learning and behavior. This gave students the choice of how to perform this gives them the autonomy of making choices hopefully good choices that will benefit them in the end. Giving the students autonomy over their grades motivated them to want to be better students which led to student engagement. (Koth, 2016) Student autonomy over their grades would motivate them intrinsically, when students are intrinsically motivated, they engage in an activity for reasons intrinsic to the activity. The reward comes from working on the task: the task is both the means and the end. The reward for intrinsic motivation may be feelings of competence and control, self-satisfaction, task success, or pride in one’s work. (Schunk, 2016) In a perfect world all students would be intrinsically motivated but we don’t live in a perfect world so we as educators must foster intrinsic motivation since research shows that as students advance in age this type of motivation deteriorates. To intrinsically engage students, we need to encourage students to take an active role in their learning. We also need build rapport with students, teachers can get to know their students on a more personal level this will encourage engagement. When planning for your students be clear in your expectations of them, what they should expect where content is concerned and when items will be due in advance so they know ahead of time. (Buskist, Busler Kirby, 2018) Some teachers use extrinsic rewards to encourage academic achievement and appropriate behaviors, teachers gave tangible rewards to help motivate students to behave in a positive manner. However, it was most often used to manage student behavior not to motivate students to be academically successful. (Hoffman, Huff Patterson, 2009) Research indicate that teachers’ perception of student motivation research that teachers do not always know what motivates students in as much as they many claimed that students’ lack of motivation was due to that fact that they did not find the subject relevant. Teachers are not using strategies that will motivate students. There is also the implication that teachers need to seek professional development to help them acquire strategies to help motivate student. Which many are not willing to do. (D’Elisa, 2015) Definitions of Key TermsAcademic achievement: this represents routine results that show the degree to which a person has mastered explicit goals that were the concentration of actions in instructional atmospheres, specifically in school, college, and university. For the purpose of this paper the end academic achievement will be graduating high school.Intrinsic reward: is an intangible award of acknowledgement, a sense of accomplishment, or a cognizant satisfaction. The reward for intrinsic motivation may be feelings of competence and control, self-satisfaction, task success, or pride in one’s work. (Schunk, 2016)Extrinsic reward: is an award that is tangible or physically given to you for achieving something. This is most often used by teachers to manage student behavior not to motivate students to be academically successful. (Hoffman, Huff Patterson, 2009) Strategies: A plan of action in the case of education to motivate students, a variety of ways used in the classroom to motivate and engage.Professional development: In education, the term professional development may be used in reference to a variety of focused training, formal education, or advanced professional learning intended to help administrators, teachers, and other educators improve their professional knowledge, competence, skill, and effectiveness. Student autonomy: is when students take control and accountability for their learning, in terms of what they learn and how they learn it. The initial point being the idea that students are capable of self-direction and can progress to have independent, proactive approach to their academic accomplishments. Gaps in the Research The gaps in the research points to that fact that most of the research done were done in urban cities rather than a mixture of urban and rural areas.There are also some limitations in what can be done in the schools because of the need for all parties to work collaboratively to use the research finding to improve motivation and engagement. Another gap in the research was that many of the studies done on student motivation were not done in the United States they were done in Asia, Canada and Australia. Students’ lack of motivation leads to disengagement and dropout from school and educational pursuits, an inescapable issue, that is widespread among all our schools. Filling in the gap requires identifying and using effective motivational strategies, tested and proven in schools for students, by teachers and administrators. For the most part teachers who can identify the reason behind students’ lack of motivation will try to use strategies the feel with help those students. For example, if teachers believe that students are unmotivated because they don’t see the content as personally relevant, they tend to include examples of its relevance. Similarly, if teachers believe that school-based skills are disconnected from students’ career goals and future aspirations, they tend to work at showing students how skills can fit for them. However, when teachers are confronted with diverse and contrastive needs, such a direct correspondence of strategies is more difficult and a sense of helplessness is common (Hardrà © Sullivan, 2009). Biblical Worldview Applying a Biblical worldview to different aspects of education allows for another way to look at education as well as educators.The worldview that is most closely related to the social cognitive learning theory is that of Naturalism. In this worldview we acquire knowledge through innate and autonomous human reason, including methods of science, we can know the universe the cosmos, including this world is understood to be in its normal state. (Sire, 2009) Naturalism denies that there is a God the creator and like the social cognitive theory a child is born with innate faculties which merely have to develop naturally. These faculties work on their own within the framework of the languages and cultures to which they are exposed. According to the social cognitive theory student learn through observation, student observes, models, explain and demonstrate skills then practice them (Schunk, 2016). In a Christian worldview God directs us to teach without holding back, in Romans 12:6-7 â€Å"We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach;† God has given us gifts, which we need to use to its fullest. If god gave you the gift of teaching then you should teach to the best of your ability, to meet the needs of all your students. Conclusion Students’ lack of motivation is a huge problem across the United States, if we are to combat this problem we as educators need to know what is the main reason behind this lack of motivation. We need to focus on current research, collaborate with policymakers as well as school administrators if we want to help inspire motivation and engagement. If this means we must give up precious time to learn new strategies to promote student autonomy and self-directed learning it will be well worth it. To be able to see students staying in school graduating high school and moving on to higher education would be an astonishing vision. Students are most likely to display positive aspects of social and academic motivation when they perceive their teacher and peers are providing them with clear expectations for social and academic outcome. As educators we must continuously commit to equipping ourselves with the tools that will help our students to become motivated and engaged. How to cite Student Motivation, Papers