Student Self-Motivation

What factors determine the level of a student’s intrinsic motivation for success? This has been the essential question within many conversations I’ve had with people lately. On each occasion, I’ve walked away thinking that we’ve nailed the solution, only to take another step and reflect that maybe the actual solution was far away from our concluding thesis. I’m usually left scratching my brow.

Certainly the family priorities hold weight in this discussion. Most of us assume that a student can’t be truly motivated unless their family places education in high regard. Is this a true assumption or are there exceptions? It’s my experience that while the focus and support provided by families is critical to success, it’s not always a sure indicator for a child’s development of self-motivation. I’ve struggled with many students who had very supportive families. Conversely, there are students that appear to have a strong level of motivation whose parents are virtually unknown by the school. How can this be?

Grading, which is definitely the third rail in public education, has been debated as a tool affecting motivation. I’m not sure if students are truly inspired by a grade. Can they be engaged by an assignment, by critical feedback, by affirmation, by goal acquisition? I believe we can all agree; yes. Being motivated by a grade? I’m unsure. Maybe a grade can be viewed as an affirming comment. I guess it could be a motivating factor, but only to the individual students who have a people-pleasing mentality or are already intrinsically motivated. Most grading guru’s would not endorse the idea that a grade should be used to motivate.

Can a teacher be a tool for improving a student’s level of self-motivation? Similar to the concept detailed above regarding parents, a teacher can have a tremendous impact on a child. Believe it or not, you have affected others and probably saved lives. The impact cannot be measured. However, I know of many excellent professional educators who struggle with student motivation. So there must be more to it.

The additional factors leading into a child’s level of self-motivation are limitless. I, like you, have the perspective of watching thousands of students grow and mature. Most develop into confident and successful adults. So, is the level of self-motivation trapped in the developing child’s mind only to be released when maturation progresses? This is an intriguing thought. To compound this issue, it seems, in a general sense, that more young girls develop self-motivation earlier than their male counterparts. Or is this a reflection of a desire to please? Okay, I just stepped over into child development and the field of psychology. (I should know better.)

Let me refocus and reflect on my personal experience. At the age of 15, my sophomore year, and then again at the age of 20, my other sophomore year, I transcended through a metamorphosis and cared about the classes I attended. I can’t attribute many factors to these two specific moments, as my family structure remained the same, my teachers were similar to others that I had, and the grading was done in a relatively consistent manner. Some of my peers developed a deeper sense of personal motivation earlier and many were later. I attended school with some children who, upon reflection, appeared to be self-motivated in the primary grades.

Normally I attempt to impart knowledge, wisdom, and advice. I’m sorry to say that I’m no closer to understanding intrinsic motivation than I was five, ten, or twenty years ago. However, I believe there are many strategies which help develop motivation, such as, goal setting, engaging activities, positive relationships, etc. By externally motivating students through our various methods, I surmise that we are ‘training’ our children to be intrinsically motivated. I would be interested in your thoughts about student self-motivation.

Have a wonderful weekend – almost Spring Break!