Student Motivation

Teaching Coach: Dr. Kevin Pugh

Motivation is critical to student success. Thankfully, we can create environments in which positive motivation patterns flourish. Unfortunately, we can also create environments that spawn maladaptive motivation patterns. We all tend to do a bit of both and, thus, we all have room to improve.

Student Motivation: An Introduction

This video introduces and illustrates the performance vs learning orientation pattern. Kevin uses his own experience to illustrate this, so you might get a chuckle out of the lead in.

Four Key Motivation Dimensions

Below is an infographic summarizing four key motivation dimensions - Confident, Autonomous, Learning Oriented, and Interested. Each dimension has a positive and negative side resulting in four positive patterns and four maladaptive patterns. The infographic aligns these dimensions with major theories of motivation and highlights strategies effective at fostering the positive patterns. These strategies are the ticket to fostering positive student motivation. You can select any pattern and I will help you apply the strategies aligned with it.

 

Introduction to Performance vs Learning Orientation Pattern

Kevin's Top Resources

Anderman, E. M., & Anderman, L. H. (2020). Classroom motivation: Linking research to teacher practice (3rd ed). Routledge. doi:10.4324/9781003013600

Meyer, D. K., & Emery, A. (Eds.). (2021). Teaching motivation for student engagement. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing.

Wentzel, K. R., & Brophy, J. E. (2014). Motivating students to learn (4th ed.). New York: Routledge.