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How can schools increase student motivation?

When a student does not get started on a task, the first question is often: "How do we get this student to be more motivated?"

But what if we turn the question around: "How can we make it easier to want to, and to be able to, get started?"

What does research say about how schools can influence student motivation?​

Motivation does not arise in a vacuum. It is influenced by the student, but also by the task, the teacher, classmates and the environment in which the learning takes place. That means teachers can in fact influence many of the factors that matter for motivation.

Meaning​

One important part is about meaning.

Students do not have to find every task enjoyable. But it can make a great difference if they understand why they are doing it and how it connects to something they want to be able to do, to understand or to achieve.

The cost​

Another part is about cost.

Every task costs something. Tasks require time, concentration and mental effort. Sometimes they also compete with things that feel more enjoyable or more important at that moment.

It can therefore help to make tasks clear and manageable.

What am I supposed to do?

Where do I begin?

How do I know when I am finished?

A large task can feel overwhelming. The same task divided into smaller steps can suddenly feel possible.

The belief that you can succeed​

If a student repeatedly experiences a task as too difficult, it is hardly surprising if motivation falls. If, on the other hand, the student gets to experience progress and understands which resources are available when things get hard, it can become easier to continue. Those resources do not have to lie with the student alone: they can be a teacher, a classmate, a clear instruction or an example. All of these can function as support for moving on.

Research therefore points to an important principle: when we want to strengthen students' motivation, we do not only have to try to influence the student's will. We can also influence the conditions for motivation.

Motivation as a question of equity​

This is particularly important from an equity perspective. Not all students start from the same position. Some find it easy to plan and get started. Others need more structure. Some have strong experiences of succeeding at school. Others may have accumulated many experiences of failure.

If teaching only works for the student who is already good at organising, planning and motivating themselves, the differences between students risk growing. Working with motivation therefore also becomes part of the school's compensatory mandate. It can be as simple as breaking a task down:

  1. Read the question.
  2. Mark the most important part.
  3. Write a first answer.
  4. Move on.

It may not look like motivational work, but it is. Because sometimes a student does not need to hear "You just have to try a bit harder." The student needs to be able to feel: "I know what I am supposed to do. I know how to begin. And I believe I can manage the next step."

That is an entirely different starting point for motivation.

Further reading​

Miele, D. B., Fujita, K., & Scholer, A. A. (2024). The role of metamotivational knowledge in the regulation of motivation. Motivation Science, 10(3), 197–209. https://doi.org/10.1037/mot0000336