The Importance Of Motivation In Education

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Most educators can tell you that motivating students can be a full time job. Finding the perfect balance between instruction and motivation, all while maintaining harmony in the classroom, can be a tricky task to accomplish. Doing so with 4th – 8th graders offers even more challenges as students at this age are starting to develop individual identities at students, and develop more social and outside of the classroom interests. However, instructors that are able to identify different types of goal orientations and learning styles can still break down barriers, and build relationships that will help motivate students in the modern world.
The Importance of Motivation in Education and Student Learning. The good news is that almost all students …show more content…

Students take pride in their academic achievements and wish to share those achievements with educators, family, and even their peers. When a student is properly motivated they tend to naturally become high achievers in the academic setting. This is, in part, because they put forth more effort to achieve those goals. When a student makes the decision to strive towards excellence they learn to focus not just their time and effort, but also learn to prioritize their “wants” in order to meet their goals. Learning this skill can be particularly beneficial to 4th – 8th graders who are going to be quickly entering more academically competitive middle schools and high schools, and will need to develop the ability to prioritize their academic, family, and social lives. Additionally, motivated students will often make an effort to truly understand the information they learn, rather than learn enough to “pass”. They learn to effectively process information and turn their efforts into meaningful learning experiences (Pugh & Bergin, 2006).
Examples of what a lack of motivation could look like.
Many creative teachers have found numerous ways to motivate their students. Yet, some educators still lack the ability to identify what a lack of motivation actually looks like among their students. Identifying a lack of motivation among students, and the reasons behind them, can help a teacher turn the motivational tide in their classroom. Look or some of these common signs that tend to pop up in the 4th – 8th grade classrooms.
• Negative comments regarding the usefulness of presented information. “Does this matter in the real world?” “Why do I have to know this?” and “How does this affect me?” are common comments to look out

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