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Motivation to Learn -- Analysis of Five Students

Keri Harrod
University of New England
EDU 615

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Student Narrative
The following provides background information regarding five former students who have had
motivational challenges in my classroom.

Lexi is an outgoing and popular fourth grade student who struggles with math. While she is an above
average reader and writer, math does not come naturally to her. While she has had success in the
previous grades in math, she is finding it more difficult to keep up with the increasingly complex
concepts. Interested in theater and music, Lexi is very verbal and has plans to perform on stage when
she grows up. A social butterfly, Lexi is already very interested in boys and spending time hanging out
with her friends. A natural leader, Lexi likes to be in control and flounders when she is uncertain.
Matthew is a quiet second grade student who is new to town. He recently moved with his family from a
neighboring town, so he is familiar with the area. He is the youngest of two boys and he has a brother
who is in the third grade. While Matthew is extremely quiet, his brother is his polar opposite and often
speaks for Matthew in social situations. He is an average to high student who often ignores instructions
and requires prompting to respond to questions. Mom is an active volunteer in both sons classes and
tends to hover over Matthew. Although the work at school comes easily to Matthew, he often rushes
through his work with little effort or quality.
Lucas is an outgoing fourth grade student who primarily lives with his father. Mom has not been a
steady presence in his life. A talented soccer player, Lucas is very competitive both in and out of the
classroom. An above average student, he often does not complete assignments or produce work that
reflects his ability level. While he is extremely verbal, Lucas often has difficulty getting his thoughts

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down in writing. He needs constant reminders to get started on assignments and often waits until the last
moment to do the assigned work. According to dad, Lucas exhibits the same behavior at home during
homework assignments.
Jamie is a friendly and well-liked second grade student who is extremely active. He has difficulty sitting
still and often makes noises without knowing he is doing it. However, he responds to reminders and
prompts and is willing to work on getting back on track. His parents understand that he might have
attention issues, but hope that he will grow out of them in time. Above average in math, Jamie tends to
struggle with reading because of his inability to sit still and focus. Despite reading at grade-level, Jamie
exhibits little interest in growing as a reader.
Jake is a second grade student who has a twin brother in a neighboring class. Extremely athletic and
competitive, Jake is an average math and language arts student. Conversely, his twin brother, Sam, tends
to be higher academically and experience greater success in the classroom. According to Jakes parents,
Sam often gives Jake a hard time at home about not being as successful in school, specifically in reading.
The parents have specifically requested separate classrooms for the boys due to their highly competitive
nature at home.
Observable Behaviors
The following details my classroom observations of the five students with regards to their
motivation.
As mentioned previously, Lexi is extremely outgoing and verbal, but often is embarrassed to ask
questions during math lessons. When asked to answer a math question while in a whole group setting,
her voice inflection goes up, as if she is questioning the validity of her own answer. When given the
chance to work one-on-one with the teacher or in a small group, she is willing to come over and often
experience greater success. On her mothers insistence, Lexi attends the weekly before school math help

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session offered by the teacher. Even when she encounters a math concepts in which she is secure, she
needs reaffirmation that her answer is correct. She repeatedly mentions that she will not really need to
do math when she is a famous actress/performer.
Matthew has difficulty paying attention to directions and often doesnt know what to do on assignments.
Since he is higher academically, he hasnt really had to give much effort to achieve above average
grades. With regards to reading, writing, and word work, his progress has become somewhat stagnant
because he often chooses to leave the room and go to the bathroom when it is time to get to work.
Although a natural speller, Matthew hands in rushed work or forgets to do his homework at all. When
asked why the quality of his work is poor or not been handed in, he places blame on his mother and their
busy after school activities. During the weeks when he hands in low quality work, he often does poorly
on that weeks assessment of learning.
Lucas is easily distracted during writing and often talks to himself, plays with items in and around his
desk, or just stares while the rest of the class is working. He often comments that assignments are
dumb and questions why he needs to write at all. Although easily able to express his thoughts
verbally, Lucas cannot get writing completed unless he knows it will keep him from going out to recess
on time. Although he is extremely competitive in and out of the classroom, Lucas doesnt believe that
writing is worth his time and doesnt care if other students are successful.
During reading time, Jamie is often unable to find a book that is a good fit and usually picks books
that are easier or that he has read previously. If he does find a book that is at his reading level, he has
difficulty sitting down to read it and rarely ever finishes a book. He will get up and wander around the
class library looking for another book. Jamie is interested, however, in whatever his two best friends in
the class are doing. He often gravitates toward them during reading time and will ask to partner read
their books with them.

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Jake also has difficulties during reading time and often cant find a book that is a good fit. He keeps
trying to read books that are way above his ability level. When given book choices that are appropriate,
he deems them boring and wont read them. Jake brings in a book from home that is quite difficult,
but one that he has been reading with a parent. His reading pace is extremely slow, but he is determined
to read it and exhibits solid comprehension when asked about the plot and characters.

Theory Application
Through observation and analysis, I believe the following motivational theories will be helpful in determining
how to increase motivation in these students in the future.
When looking at Lexi, I believe that the Self-Determination Theory applies to her situation. Lexi has
low belief in her own ability to learn and understand math concepts and does not value academic tasks
related to math (Anderman & Anderman, 2010, p.4). Lexi often is afraid to ask questions during math
because of her concern of what the other students will think. According to Anderman & Anderman ,
Lexi strives to be accepted within a larger social network (2010, p.4), and doesnt want to show her
lack of competence by asking questions. In order to motivate Lexi to take chances with her learning, I
need to change her perception of her math ability. If Lexi sees the relevance of math to her future, she
may be more interested in attaining success.
With regards to Matthew, the Attribution theory best fits his experience. When faced with poor
performance, Matthew is unhappy with the results and tends to attribute his lack of success to external
factors, such as his mother creating a busy schedule after school. Matthew understands that his
performance is a direct result of his lack of effort leading up to an assessment. When reminded of his

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success when he produces work that is careful, thoughtful, and timely, Matthew is motivated to increase
his efforts and experiences success as a result (Anderman & Anderman, 2010).
In Lucas instance, the Expectancy-Value theory is applicable. This theory stresses two motivation
components -- a persons belief that he or she can perform a task and the value participation in the task
will bring them (Brophy, 1987). While Lucas has a strong belief that he is able to complete writing
tasks, he often does not value them. According to Brophy (1987), students who are missing one of the
two components mentioned will not put effort into a task, even if the component they do possess is
strong. Instructionally, Lucas needs to see the inherent value in a particular writing task in order to be
motivated to do it. By focusing on how the task relates to Lucas on a personal level may increase his
motivation.
The motivation theory that best fits Jamies situation is the Social Cognitive Theory. This theory states
that students are affected by personal attributes, environmental characteristics, and
behaviors (Anderman & Anderman, 2010, p. 5), and can be motivated when observing behaviors
modeled by others that they perceive to be similar to themselves. In Jamies case, he became more
motivated to read when included in a reading group with his two best friends. His belief that he would
like a book and want to read it because his friends were reading it increased his motivational level.
Lastly, Jake best fits the Goal Orientation Theory of motivation. Because of his competitive situation
with his twin brother, Jake is determined to read books at a similar level. Specifically, Jakes motivation
stems from a performance goal because he is engaging in the task in order to show his ability compared
to his brother (Anderman & Anderman). According to Anderman & Anderman, Jake is focused on how
his performance compares with the performance of other students or how they are being judged or
evaluated by others (2010, p.6).

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References
Anderman, E.M. & Anderman L.H. (2010). Classroom motivation. Upper Saddle River, NJ:
Pearson Education, Inc.
Brophy, J. (1987). Synthesis of research on strategies for motivating students to learn. Education Leadership,
45(2) 40-48.