High School Student Motivation: Factors Research Paper

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Indeed, one can frame motivation in terms of Maslow's hierarchy of needs, which provides that basic needs must be met before higher order needs can be attended to. In short, motivation is a higher need, and basic needs must be met (i.e. physical needs) before anything involving self-actualization can occur (Kong, 2009).

Teacher Attitudes and Approaches

Teachers provide the means by which students can build relationships because they are given an opportunity for social interaction. Non-academic enrichment programs geared toward socialization help build relationships, and teachers can encourage that. Examples of such programs can include sporting activities, dance, music, swimming, art, and even home economics such as sewing and learning to cook. Lesson plans in the classroom can be modified to include group activities. Teacher-led measures that meet a student's needs for peer acceptance help build strong relationships between the student and the teacher (Kong, 2009).

When students are continually challenged to excel and are afforded the opportunity to enrich their learning, they will do better both academically and socially, as well as being motivated to progressively seek to build the foundation of their success. Classroom lessons taught by highly trained and creative teachers can be exciting for the students, such as using more lab-style, real-world lessons over didactic methods. Innovation, creativity, and the nurturing of curiosity are all positive methods to engage student motivation. Students must be empowered to make choices that have meaning; this will lead them to making the necessary moves to achieve tasks (Davenport, 1992).

Teachers, who accept the student as persons of value and worth, are likely to build a foundation where self-esteem and motivation can grow. Accepting a person as having dignity and worth respect regardless of their socio-economic status or family background, or even what clothes they where or what their parents do for a living, tells the student that it is what is inside of them, their potential, that is the real gem. Student's who believe in themselves, are motivated to perform better at tasks. Therefore, a teacher who approaches the educational experience of the student from a person-centered perspective, will achieve high levels of motivation from the student through positive handling of the student's need for being valued for who they are, not what they are (Beane and Lipka, 1984).

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Indeed, the research states that the extended role of the teacher involves the teacher being in tune with the development of the student. The teacher's role changes according to the student's needs, which might mean the teacher revolves through roles of friend, mentor, counsellor, educator, or other appropriate role (Lockwood, 1989).

Classroom Methods

Classroom methods that produce student self-esteem do so because they encourage student motivation and raise achievement levels (Schmidt, 1988; Lawrence, 1996; Barbra & Barbra, 1978). Student instruction is powerfully connected with a good individual relationship between pupil and instructor. Consequently, it seems that student achievement depends upon a nurturing teacher as well as the use of proven methods.

These entail methods such as individualized instruction based upon the student's level of development, identification and utilization of individual learning styles, as well as discrete learning exercises that produce success at almost each step (which limits failure and heightens motivation). Students are also completely included in their goal-setting. With guidance from their instructor, these goals are pragmatic and some goals are immediately obtainable to allow instant success and positive feedback (Lockwood, 1989).

Conclusion:

This paper has proffered the thought that self-esteem is closely linked to student motivation, and is dependent upon three main areas as found in the scholarly research literature. Namely, the school environment and physical needs of the student; teacher attitudes and approaches; and finally, classroom methods. This discourse has demonstrated the necessity of these three main areas in maximizing the path to student self-esteem, and hence, student motivation. While the particular psychologies of adolescence were not discussed in this paper, a closer examination in any one topic area that was offered could include the topic of adolescence as well as other social factors for a future research report. What this essay has chosen to attempt to….....

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