Many educators believe that motivation solely lies fully within an individual student which is not the case. To many students high school is a low point in student engagement despite being a vital time for nurturing the skills necessary to succeed in the adulthood stage. Learning becomes associated with drudgery or hard work instead of delight. This lack of desire to engage actively in study is a great hindrance to attaining good grades or successful completion of high school education.
According to a past research by Stephanie V. Wormton “Motivation in High School” cite that so many students express utmost reluctance to reading because they associate it with reading achievement. Time spent in reading, factually, is the strongest indicator and projector of reading achievement. The study goes on to assert highly active and engaged students from low-income families outperform those from high-income families. This boils down to motivation levels of students hence, it becomes extremely crucial as learners progress through the education system to put in place strategies that improve the student motivation as a means of improving student achievement (Stephanie, 2004).
The study was made with the intent of pointing out the implications of low motivation to the high school education. The implications are negative as they all lead to deteriorating standards of performance in education. The study highlights the causes of low motivation and how best to detect them. Stephanie V. Wormton dissects the essential programs for boosting motivation levels in students. The author further offers an insight on how the major stakeholders namely teachers and parents can help in the quest to remedy this problem (Stephanie, 2004).
The causes of low motivation in high school students are several. The first is low self-esteem which entails how an individual student views self. Many students withhold effort or procrastinate rather than risk trying, failing and feeling worse about themselves. Lack of family support is another cause of low motivation in students towards their academic work. The home environment if non-conducive can be a great impediment to a student’s motivation (Alderman, 2004). In a home where questions, curiosity and exploration are encouraged will send and instill the notion that education is worthwhile and satisfying in the students at a formative age. The third reason is low expectations in the classroom. If teachers and peers create an impression that an individual student is incompetent, then the student will have low motivation to engage in any academic related activities (Burden, 2009). Pressure is also cited as a reason for low motivation in students. Many unmotivated learners simply respond negatively to pressure. Through procrastination and avoiding exerting effort in learning the students try to escape from the fear of inadequacy and failure.
Students and teachers have a great role in curbing this problem. Learning should be made to be a more interactive session where both parties participate actively. Teachers should also be keen to note the diversity in students and understanding the different levels of comprehending and learning in individual students (Brophy, 2006). Parents too should take initiative in creating a healthy environment for their school-going children. The main challenge that may be faced by these stakeholders as they seek to improve the student motivation levels is lack of cooperation or disconnect by either or all parties. The parents, students and teachers should actively participate together in an effort to avert such an educational crisis (Sullo, 2009). It is chief to note that attitude counts in any action and good attitude bores positive results and approaches to any problem that presents itself to an individual.
References
Alderman, M. (2004). Motivation for achievement : possibilities for teaching and learning. Mahwah, N.J: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Brophy, J. (2006). Motivating students to learn. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Burden, P. (2000). Powerful classroom management strategies : motivating students to learn. Thousand Oaks, Calif: Corwin Press.
Sullo, R. (2009). The motivated student unlocking the enthusiasm for learning. Alexandria, Va: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Stephanie W.(2004). Motivation in High School Washington, D.C: National Academies Press.
