Student Motivation in the Classroom

This report describes a program for increasing student effort and achievement through the use of motivational strategies. The teaching staff at a high school in an upper-middle class urban area in Illinois noted that many students in a second-year high school Spanish class appeared unmotivated, demonstrated minimal academic effort, and earned poor grades. Analysis of the probable causes of this situation revealed high levels of student apathy and truancy, along with low levels of self-esteem. In addition, it was suspected that a lack of parental involvement, a lack of responsibility at home, and a lack of English language skills were contributing factors to poor motivation. Solutions strategies implemented to alleviate the problem included the use of cooperative groups, increased individual assistance by the teacher, extrinsic rewards for oral responses, and a varied teaching approach to maintain student interest. These strategies were found to help increase student motivation and performance. Five appendixes include copies of a teacher questionnaire, student surveys, and observation checklists. (Contains references.) (MDM)