Kathleen George
6/2/24
Some children come into the classroom ready to learn, and then some students need a little push, but some come into the classroom thinking they will fail or cannot succeed. Some children need a little motivation to get them through.
There are three basic human needs that need to be met for students to develop motivation. The needs are competence, autonomy, and relatedness (Deci & Ryan, 2015).
Children need to have competence or knowledge of what they are being motivated to do. For example, let's say a first-grader is struggling with confidence in performing addition problems. If the student is competent in how to work out an addition problem then the likelihood of them being capable of performing the addition problem on their own is high, but if they have no idea how to begin to work out the addition problem, then the likelihood of them capable of performing the addition problem on their own is low.
Children need to have autonomy. Autonomy is control of own work and life (MindTools, n.d.). Children need to be able to have the confidence to be independent. They need to understand that they will not have someone holding their hand their entire life. Students who are independent and have autonomy will be able to have control of their own behavior, friendships, and education. Students who do not show independence or autonomy will struggle with confidence and follow other people's lead even if the other person is leading them in the wrong direction which could cause behavior problems.
Children need relatedness to build relationships with other children and the teacher. Relatedness means to feel close to others, and belonging (Lopez-Garrido, 2023). Children need to be able to connect with their classmates and trust their teachers. If a child does not show signs of relatedness then they could struggle with building friendships and communicating with their teachers. If they do have relatedness then they could thrive with friendships and feel comfortable talk with their teachers about their concerns or worries.
Sociocultural may help motivate students because they can learn by watching their peers. Some children learn better from other children because children have a way of explaining work on their level. Vygotsky's Sociocultural Theory says that interaction with others promotes learning on a personal level (Main, 2023). Children have a way to show different ways of learning a new concept. They use their cognitive skills to find the easier way to solve a problem. It also could have a negative result if the child learns better independently. A student's social skills could suffer though. This is where a teacher needs to know their students.
Teachers can help students overcome issues with cognitive learning by pairing them with a student who understands the concept more easily. They can also help students who need to break out of their shells and increase their social skills by pairing them with the same interests.
If teachers stay positive and give positive feedback to their students, that could promote motivation and engagement in the classroom. Also, if they listen to the student's needs and concerns and find ways to help the student with their needs and concerns, that is another way they could promote motivation and engagement.
If a teacher dismisses clear signs of struggle with a student, that could affect the student's confidence and not motivate them to do their best. If a teacher puts all their focus on the students who are at or above grade level, the ones below grade level may not be motivated to engage in lessons.
Three ways teachers can promote student motivation at school and at home:
Keep parents in the loop of their child's achievements and struggles. If the child sees their parents interested in their outcomes, they will want to keep improving to make them proud.
Get student input on how they learn best and implement it in the lesson as best as possible. If students see the teacher trying to help them, they may stay engaged in lessons.
3. A teacher needs to know their students. If a teacher finds the students' interest and implement it in their lessons, it may keep the students engaged and motivate them to continue to do their best work.
References:
Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2015, March 12). Self-Determination Theory. ScienceDirect Topics. http://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/social-sciences/self-determination-theory
Lopez-Garrido, G. (2023, July 10). Self-Determination Theory of Motivation. Simply Psychology. https://www.simplypsychology.org/self-determination-theory.html
Main, P. (2023, March 6). Sociocultural Theory. Structural Learning. https://www.structural-learning.com/post/sociocultural-theory
MindTools. (n.d.). Pink’s Autonomy, Mastery and Purpose Framework. MindTools. https://www.mindtools.com/asmdp60/pinks-autonomy-mastery-and-purpose-framework
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