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.
The effects of low motivation levels in high school are deemed to be exhibited in terms of lower academic performance, specifically in its inability to develop appropriate 21st century skills. According to the study conducted by Lai (2011), motivation was found to be directly linked to factors that are imbibed in the learning environment, including those which are classed 21st century skills. These skills were noted to be instrumental in aptly preparing high schools students for higher education and in being eventually employed. From among the most needed skills that were specifically mentioned by the author, critical analysis and metacognition were emphasized.
Likewise, it was also revealed that low motivation levels would provide inaccurate data on the true academic performance of students. From the study conducted by Wise & DeMars (2003), the authors averred that “examinees who do not try hard on tests do not perform as well as they could. In other words, their test scores do not give an accurate picture of their knowledge, skills, and abilities” (pp. 5-6).
The current trends to address this problem were noted from the recommendations of Lai (2011) such as observing the limited use of appropriately assessed incentives; providing rewards that would gauge the students’ proficiencies; according opportunities for autonomy and selection of preferences; being able to integrate applications for both cooperative and collaborative instructional methods; and designing a conducive learning environment that supports academic goals. Concurrently, to address the problem of motivating the students to perform effectively and appropriately during examinations, Wise & DeMars (2003) recommended using the Pintrich model of motivation which allegedly takes into consideration the specific factors that could contribute to students’ motivation in taking assessments and examinations. As such, assessing the motivational factors which could contribute to the students' academic performance is needed prior to designing strategies that would effectively motivate them to achieve.
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.
Lai, E. R. (2011, April). Motivation: A Literature Review. Retrieved from Pearson: http://www.pearsonassessments.com/hai/images/tmrs/Motivation_Review_final.pdf
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.
Wise, S., & DeMars, C. (2003, June). Examinee Motivation in Low-Stakes Assessment: Problems and Potential Solutions. Retrieved from James Madison University: http://www.jmu.edu/assessment/wm_library/Examinee_Motivation.pdf
