Igniting the Spark: Motivational Strategies for Students
College is a transformative period, offering opportunities for personal and intellectual growth. However, the academic rigor and demanding workload can sometimes lead to a decline in student motivation. Overcoming this hurdle is crucial for academic success and overall well-being. This article explores a range of motivational strategies that students and educators can implement to foster a more engaging and rewarding learning experience.
Understanding the Landscape of Student Motivation
Motivation is the driving force that compels a student to take action, while engagement is the observable behavior that demonstrates that motivation. Motivation is necessary for engagement, and successful engagement can help students to feel motivated in the future. One of the key differences between people who do and don’t succeed is not their ability level but their effort and motivation levels. Few people wake up wanting to do unpleasant or boring tasks. The ones who do them and succeed in them are the ones who believe they can and motivate themselves to do them even when they don’t feel like it.
Intrinsic vs. Extrinsic Motivation
It's important to understand the different types of motivation that drive students. Intrinsic motivation stems from internal rewards, such as a love of learning or a genuine interest in a subject. Students who are intrinsically motivated value learning for its own sake, regardless of external factors. On the other hand, extrinsic motivation arises from external factors, such as the desire to pass a test, earn a reward, or avoid punishment.
While extrinsic motivation can be useful in the short term, it often leads to a decline in engagement over time. Therefore, prioritizing intrinsic motivation is key to fostering a lifelong love of learning.
Strategies for Cultivating Intrinsic Motivation
1. Fostering a Growth Mindset
In her book, "Mindset," Carol Dweck argues that students have an underlying belief about learning: either a fixed mindset or a growth mindset. A fixed mindset belief suggests that people are born with or without certain abilities and talents, and that abilities cannot be changed. Fixed mindset learners try to prove themselves and will often shy away from challenges because they do not want to appear to be struggling. A growth mindset learner, on the other hand, believes that abilities and talents can be cultivated and improved through hard work. Growth mindset students enjoy a challenge and see struggles and failures as necessary parts of growth.
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One of the most powerful elements of feedback for our learners is to praise them for their efforts and hard work. “I can tell that you have been practicing your reading,” or “The practice is paying off on your times tables,” tells learners that they have the power to improve their academic success. That said, we must stop praising ability: “Wow, you are such a smart math student,” or “You are such an incredible reader.” Praise for abilities over efforts reinforces the fixed mindset that students have the ability or they don’t and no amount of hard work on the learner’s part can change the outcome.
As teachers, we can model the growth mindset. Have courage! Ask students for feedback about your teaching and be willing to make necessary changes. Be dedicated! Work hard for students and share how hard work and dedication translates to success and growth. This feedback shows that we, too, are learners. It also invites our students to continue on the learning journey alongside us.
2. Creating Relevant and Engaging Learning Experiences
Students are more likely to be motivated if they find the class material relevant to their lives and interests. The best way to make your curriculum relevant to your students is to get to know them. Spend time understanding their needs and what makes them light up in a classroom setting.
Some lectures can only be explained in theory. However, there are cases when you can provide hands-on experiences. This encourages students you often learn more from seeing how something happens rather than reading about it.
3. Gamification
Gamification can have an engaging place in the classroom if intrinsic motivation is prioritized. In a nutshell, gamification is the use of activities and rewards to teach different learning concepts.
Read also: Short Motivation for Students
4. Building Strong Relationships
We all tend to remember professors who went above and beyond to engage us in learning. We felt a connection with that professor and were eager to learn. So how do you as a lecturer accomplish that? The next step is to build trust between you, which you might do by discussing a unique experience you had while in college. All in all, professors play a crucial role in every student’s career and how we want to be remembered by students depends entirely on us. All strategies mentioned above help you establish strong relationships with students and boost their motivation rapidly.
If we are going to truly inspire and motivate all of our students, we should know each of them on a personal level. We need to know their interests and hobbies, who they hang out with, their family situations, and what gets them excited. In order to begin that “knowing,” try allowing for five minutes where students may share “Good News.” For example, student A shares, “I am a new uncle! My sister had a new baby boy this weekend!” This is an opportunity for us to learn about our students as people and to let them know that we care about them individually. This also provides an avenue for teachers to share some details about their lives outside of school. When teachers are willing to share personally and become vulnerable, students are more likely to do the same. We all learn differently. In each classroom several types of learners exist: visual, tactile, verbal and more reserved. We can see it as our responsibility to discover this by knowing them and endeavor to teach them accordingly.
5. Fostering a Supportive Classroom Environment
Students need a classroom environment that is safe, where they are willing to take risks and struggle. To achieve this goal, the students and teacher must work together towards common collective goals. Students must be willing to work with and assist other students in class.
Traditional teaching consists of teachers lecturing and learners taking notes, followed by the learners doing independent work to check for understanding. Transforming this outdated model to include more time where students are talking to students brings about true community. Collaborative group work should be the activity between the teacher lecture and the independent work. This is the time when students can digest information and ask questions collectively. Learners participate in what could be considered the “problem solving” phase of their development with new ideas, and together they come to new learnings. Student work should be proudly displayed throughout the classroom. This sends a message to students that they are active participants in creating the knowledge in the classroom. The teacher is not the sole holder of knowledge. Additionally, teachers can use language that promotes the community of learners - including the teacher - rather than a room full of individual learners.
Professors should be able to foster a welcoming atmosphere that increases students’ motivation and productivity.
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6. Providing Constructive Feedback
Feedback is essential for students. Sometimes, professors grade the students without providing feedback on what they did well and what they need to improve. In that case, you are not giving room for improvement as students cannot know what they did not do well if professors do not point them in the right direction.
Throughout a learning cycle, teachers assess student progress by incorporating formative and summative assessments. The purpose of formative assessment is to pinpoint the learning needed for ultimate success on a later summative assessment. Formative assessment informs teachers and students about student and classroom needs for improvement so both can act accordingly to improve performance on the final assessment. Some formative assessments are: a thumbs up/thumbs down check for understanding, a quiz in small groups, or an exit slip at the end of a lesson. What is important is that students get timely and descriptive feedback from the assessment so that they can move forward in their learning.
As professors, you need to let the students know that you are acknowledging their growth throughout their course and reviewing where the students need to improve more. By tracking their progress, you may notice students that aren’t performing well and spend more time with them during office hours.
7. Setting Achievable Goals
To motivate their students, professors should set achievable goals for students to succeed. Ask students why they chose the class and what they hope to accomplish. In that way, you know your students better and what standards to put for the class.
Setting high expectations and supporting students as they struggle allows learners to rise to meet those expectations. When expectations are transparent, students know where their learning is headed and are motivated to get there because it seems possible: the path is visible. Daily learning goals (learning targets, or “I can” statements) should be posted, visible and referenced on a daily basis. Establishing the “goal of the day” at the start of the lesson gives students a purpose for their learning. Maintaining high expectations for academics is tantamount to learning, but high standards for behavior, academic language, group work, and even the length and format of individual work is also necessary for deep learning. We cannot assume that students know these expectations. They must be clearly outlined. If we expect students to interact in a certain way together, we need to teach them how, and hold them accountable. If we want an assignment displayed in a certain format, we need to model it and expect it.
8. Promoting Autonomy and Control
A sense of control is essential to students, and in some strict classes, students feel like they are suffocating. Professors need to be aware that the more they try to micromanage their students, the less motivated they will be in class, which could lead to poor grades or, in the worst-case scenario, dropouts.
It’s best to delegate tasks to students to help them grow as people rather than trying to micromanage everything yourself.
Personal and individualized: Students feel like they are able to customize their assignments in order to explore their own interests. Students can also be taught to make their own connections to what they are learning through creating their own hooks for a lesson. Teachers can provide a rationale or standard and guide students in setting short-term mastery goals for each required task. They can also help students to align their daily actions and effort with the results they are hoping to achieve by making a process plan. I have found that when students graph their own progress or use their process plan as a checklist, this makes growth visual and allows students to see the steps they are accomplishing each day toward their goal. In addition, clear expectations, consistency in classroom structure, clear rules, and set routines are all important.
Collaborative: Teachers provide students with choices and opportunities to partner with the teacher in their learning experiences and show ownership in the tasks that are assigned to them. When teachers encourage students to begin to make choices and take responsibility for their own learning, students see a purpose in school activities. One way to do this is through using self-assessment to prompt reflection on strategy use. I have students analyze their graded assignments to decide what strategies to keep and what to do differently next time. When students see errors as a signal that they need to reflect on the process and learning strategies they used, they realize there are no real mistakes, just opportunities for learning.
9. Acknowledging and Rewarding Effort
Students lose motivation for not getting the recognition others are getting for much less. Therefore, professors must make sure to provide each student with equal opportunities, giving them the chance to put effort into their work and ultimately leading to their results.
No one can say no to rewards, especially from professors. It would be ideal if you acknowledged students’ learning and outstanding grades during the semester by offering them bonus points in their final grades.
Praising your students can be the most powerful way to push them in the right direction.
10. Injecting Enthusiasm and Variety
Enthusiasm is a quality that should be in the background of any teacher. If you are not enthusiastic about what you teach, you can’t expect your students to be, let alone motivate them to participate and engage in your class.
A lot of material to learn can occasionally get monotonous, which may lower students’ willingness to pay close attention and comprehend the content thoroughly. Students may lose motivation to study if they feel the assignment is not thoroughly comprehended. Instructors can provide a single lesson explaining the assignment and wait for questions from the students.
When learning, a different environment is excellent for motivating students. Going to college and sitting at a desk on a daily basis can become dull, so we suggest changing the narrative. Try to hold the presentation somewhere other than the classroom. Hold it outside on campus if the weather is nice, or perhaps go on a field trip.
When giving lectures, the class is almost always quiet. If you teach a lot of material in one lesson, the probability that the students will follow you and understand the whole material is pretty low. Group work is always a great way to increase student class participation and communication. Every student’s opinion differs from the other, so it is essential to let them communicate and argue why they think their opinion is correct instead of the other.
11. Knowing Your Students
Knowing your students does not mean only knowing their academic progress; it also means knowing little things about them. It’s always great to put some effort into their hobbies, future goals, etc.
Strategies for Self-Motivation
Motivating yourself to go to class, complete assignments, study, and do all the other things required of you in college can be difficult-but it’s crucial to your college success. Research shows that students can learn how to become better learners by using effective motivation strategies. Successful students know how to self-regulate (control) their own learning and the factors that impact their learning.
1. Setting Clear Goals
Set clear goals. Include daily, weekly, semester, and long-term goals. Write them down somewhere easily visible. Use SMART goals to be specific and create a plan: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time-bound. For example: Instead of saying, “I want to get better grades,” say something like, “I want to get at least an 85% on my BIO exam on March 5.” Even better, set up concrete goals (e.g., increased study hours, peer tutoring) that help you track your progress toward that long-term goal.
Defining your priorities, perhaps in the form of a master calendar that documents all of your assignments and the due dates of each, can help you create an achievable roadmap. "Remember that working on a project is a step toward completing a class and a step toward completing your degree," Jenkins said.
Remind yourself of how this task or step gets you closer to your big goals. Print out a picture of where you want to be in the future and post it on your wall or mirror. If you’re feeling stuck, visualize yourself as you want to be in the future. Picture yourself in your future career or situation and remind yourself of what you are working for.
2. Focus
Help yourself focus. Eliminate or limit things that are distracting and cause you to procrastinate. Take distracting apps off your phone, turn off the TV, study outside of your dorm room, keep your phone/laptop away during class or study times, create a designated study space in your bedroom or home, block Netflix, clear out the junk food, etc. If you know you struggle with something, make it more difficult for you to indulge in that temptation.
3. Pace Yourself
Pace yourself. Chunk your study, work, and reading times into small sections (30-60 minutes) with breaks in between. Breaks are important for your focus, health, and motivation and should be worked into any study time.
4. Prioritize
Study early in the day and do the most challenging or unpleasant tasks first. Research shows that tackling difficult tasks first thing in the day can make you feel better throughout the rest of the day and be more productive. Doing so keeps you from procrastinating all day and having that dreaded feeling of knowing that you need to do something unpleasant.
5. Location
Think about where you work best and where you will be most motivated to get to work and stay working. For most people, their dorm room or bed are not ideal, as they come with many distractions. Some students focus better in a public place like the library or a coffee shop, while others prefer silence and isolation, like a quiet and secluded room on campus.
6. Sleep
Get enough sleep. Aim for at least 7 hours a night. Sleep is important to motivation. If you aren’t well-rested and are running on fumes, it’s a lot more difficult to be productive, stay focused, and motivate yourself.
7. Build a Routine
Build a routine and healthy habits. Structure healthy habits like meals, sleep, exercise, and study times into your daily schedule and then stick with it. Eat and drink healthily. Drink enough water-your body needs water to function and improve energy. Eat regularly, don’t skip meals, and try to eat healthy foods.
8. Reflect
Reflect on what makes you happy, what fulfills you, and what you are passionate about. Try to align what you do with things that make you happy and fulfill you. If you spend all of your time doing or pursuing things that you do not like or care about, you may never be fully motivated. Choosing pathways and activities that interest you is one of the biggest ways to better motivate yourself.
When you have a task to accomplish, reflect before, during, and after. Talk to yourself out loud about your dreams and goals and speak encouraging, positive words to yourself. List out what is preventing you from doing what you need to do, then find ways to tackle those things.
9. Seek Support
Think about what support you need in order to achieve your goals and then get the support you need.
"Staying in contact with your support system is crucial," said Luis Raymundo '15, an academic advisor at SNHU. Raymundo earned his bachelor's in psychology at SNHU and took some time to discover his true passion: helping students succeed. If you feel alone in your challenge, it can be isolating, said Deb Polatchek, an academic advisor for graduate students at SNHU. "I emphasize to my students who feel like they have lost motivation the steps they can take right now. Raymundo plays a crucial role in the student support system as an academic advisor.
Share your goals with a friend, classmate, or someone in your life. Reach out to someone and ask them to help keep you accountable with your work and goals. Check in with this person face-to-face or online regularly to discuss your progress. Meet with an academic coach at the Learning Center to talk through your goals and have accountability.
10. Accept Imperfection
Accept that you aren’t perfect. Many students lack motivation because they are afraid of not performing as well as they would like. Combat your fear of failure by telling yourself that your self-worth does not depend on your ability to perform. Include your image of success to include personal and social success and growth.
11. Think Long-Term
Think long-term. Keep focused on your long-term goals and think about them when you’re feeling unmotivated.
Write a letter to your future self to remind yourself of your goals. Read this message when you find yourself feeling unmotivated.
12. Stay Positive
Stay positive and optimistic. Avoid complaining or commiserating at times when you planned to make progress towards your goals. If the problems or obstacles can be set aside till later, it may help to write them down to ensure you get back to them.
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