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Motivation essay

Klaryssa Smith Mccown Grand Canyon University ELM-200 John Biba 9/19/2021

2 Student motivation occurs when a student has the desire to learn, work, and persevere (Willis, 2019). A student must have good underlying reasons to complete their goals. A student’s motivation can affect their performance in the classroom. There are two forms of motivation, intrinsic and extrinsic, that both impact a student’s success. Certain contextual factors, as well as self-efficacy, can impact motivation. Teachers can use instructional strategies in the classroom to assist in student motivation. Certain teaching styles can result in better motivation. When a teacher has the right skills they can increase student engagement, motivation, and strengthen learning in the classroom. If a student is not motivated, they cannot perform well in the classroom. According to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, a student cannot focus on achievement motivations until lower tier needs such as psychological, belonging, or safety needs are met. For students to be motivated and successful, teachers must create an environment that fulfills all tiers of needs (States news service, 2014). A principle of motivation is that it is always changing. We will never have the same motivators as we grow. Another principle is that social factors can greatly influence motivation over time. Our surrounding influences such as teachers and friends can be our motivators in life. When a student is truly motivated, and all of their needs are met their academic performance can flourish. Any action can be motivated by extrinsic and intrinsic factors, but the difference between them is more a spectrum than a divide (Usher & Kober, 2012). Intrinsic motivation is when a student genuinely has the desire to achieve something and takes pride in doing so. For example, a student may participate in a sport for the fun rather than for competition. This motivation is driven for the pleasure of the activity and not for personal gain. Extrinsic motivation is the desire of performing a task for external factors that are not self-driven. The

3 student could be doing it for factors like rewards or praise. For example, a student could be participating in a sport for trophies instead of for enjoyment. This motivation results in a personal benefit for themselves. Both contextual and self-efficacy factors can affect student motivation. The overall atmosphere of a classroom can be a contextual factor to influence student motivation (Sak, 2019). If the student feels comfortable and enjoys class, then they will be motivated to come to school every day. This involves promoting a welcoming atmosphere by the teacher. Social skills can be another contextual factor. This motivation factor can also be further nurtured through group collaborative activities with other students. Students who doubt their learning abilities have a harder time than those with high self-efficacy who acquire skills, work harder, persist longer, and can better handle difficult tasks (Brown, 2012). For example, a student may have beliefs that they will never be able to do long division, therefore they never have the motivation to try. Researchers have found that allowing students to use cognitive choice fosters motivation (Ferlazzo, 2015). Ferlazzo shows examples of this in small group problem- based learning, and independent homework ideas in class. The second research base strategy is using effective feedback. Researcher Carol Dweck has found that a good ratio of praising intelligence and effort can be affective in encouraging students (Ferlazzo, 2015). The third research study shown to push motivation is shown in a positive relationship with student and teacher. Ferlazzo notes that having a high-quality relationship with teacher and student is key to creating intrinsic motivation. Researcher Robert Marzano shows this can be accomplished by taking interest in students, acting friendly, and never giving up.

4 Student motivation is often driven by their relationships with teachers. By creating emotionally supportive and safe environments in the classroom, teachers have shown to promote motivation and learning (Blazar & Kraft, 2017). Blazar & Kraft also note that teacher’s classroom modeling of management and organization has also been shown to impact student learning and motivation. In mathematics, it has been found that teachers promote student motivation by emphasizing critical thinking and authentic tasks (Blazar & Kraft, 2017). Middle school teachers were shown to motivate students the most through implementing growth mindset practices. Finally, the successful presentation of the learning material by the teacher proved to also be a component of motivation and learning. Teacher effectiveness can impact student motivation by their support, organization, authenticity, presentation, and mindset principles. Student motivation changes with many factors. These factors can be intrinsic or extrinsic, contextual, self-efficacy, instructional strategies, or the very effectiveness of the teachers in charge. Motivation in students is a driving force for success in the classroom and by understanding all aspects of its impacts, educators can better lead the next generation of learners. When a teacher has the right skills they can increase student engagement, motivation, and strengthen learning in the classroom.

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References ADDRESSING OUR NEEDS: MASLOW COMES TO LIFE FOR EDUCATORS AND STUDENTS. (2014, February 6). States News Service. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A357891622/STND? u=canyonuniv&sid=ebsco&xid=261644fb Blazar, D., & Kraft, M. A. (2017, March). Teacher and teaching effects on students' attitudes and behaviors. Educational evaluation and policy analysis. Retrieved September 18, 2021, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5602565/. Brown, B. L. (2012). The impacts of self-efficacy and motivation characteristics on the academic achievement of upward bound participants. Core. Retrieved September 17, 2021, from https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/301299428.pdf. Ferlazzo, L. (2015, September 14). Strategies for helping students motivate themselves. Edutopia. Retrieved September 18, 2021, from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/strategieshelping-students-motivate-themselves-larry-ferlazzo. Sak, M. (2019). Contextual Factors That Enhance and Impair Directed Motivational Currents in Instructed L2 Classroom Settings. Novitas-ROYAL (Research on Youth and Language), 13(2), 155–174. https://eds-a-ebscohostcom.lopes.idm.oclc.org/eds/detail/detail?vid=6&sid=7d57e99b-9932-4a5f-b360e48063955abf%40sdc-vsessmgr03&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmUmc2NvcGU9c2l0ZQ%3d

6 %3d#db=eric&AN=EJ1231981 Usher, A., & Kober, N. (2012). Student Motivation— An Overlooked Piece of School Reform. Center of education policy CEP. Retrieved September 17, 2021, from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED532666.pdf. Willis, J. (2019, September 30). Maintaining students' motivation for learning as the year goes on. Edutopia. Retrieved September 17, 2021, from https://www.edutopia.org/article/maintaining-students-motivation-learning-year-goes....