Why Does Mo�va�on Ma�er ?
Mo�va�on affects every aspect of schooling .
Although not as frequently discussed as other aspects of reform , mo�va�on is a crucial part of a student ’ s experience from preschool onward . Mo�va�on can affect how students approach school in general , how they relate to teachers , how much �me and effort they devote to their studies , how much support they seek when they ’ re struggling , how much they a�empt to engage or disengage their fellow students from academics , how they perform on assessments ( and therefore how the school performs ), and so on . Hardly any aspect of the school environment is unaffected .
A lack of mo�va�on has important consequences .
There are three things to remember about educa�on . The first is mo�va�on . The second one is mo�va�on . The third one is mo�va�on . Data indicate that lack of mo�va�on is a real problem affec�ng large percentages of students . Upwards of 40 % of high school students , depending on the study , are disengaged from learning , are ina�en�ve , exert li�le effort on school work , and report being bored in school . Losing mo�va�on to learn has serious consequences that can culminate in students dropping out of school . In a 2006 survey exploring why students dropped out of high school , 70 % of dropouts said they were unmo�vated .
Four major dimensions contribute to mo�va�on .
While researchers use different frameworks for thinking about mo�va�on , they essen�ally agree on the major factors students need to have in order to be mo�vated : competence ( the belief that they ’ re capable of doing something ), autonomy / control ( the ability to set appropriate goals and see a correla�on between effort and outcome ), interest / value ( a vested interest in the task and a feeling that its value is worth the effort to complete it ), and relatedness ( the need to feel part of a group or social context and exhibit behavior appropriate to that group ).
Center on Educa�on Policy , The George Washington University , Graduate School of Educa�on and Human Development , 2012