Is It a Lack of Motivation Or…? Part 3 of 4

When I sat down to research the topic of motivation for this 4-part series, I was overwhelmed about where to start. Should I study motivation in the brain? What about psychological studies about motivation? Maybe I should focus only on the literature about motivation in students?

As I scanned study after study, I noticed the prevalence of one theory of motivation that seemed to be referenced more than others -- Self Determination Theory. 

Good thing that is, because this is the theory of motivation that inspired me eight years ago and is the basis for how I focus my choices as an academic coach. I find it to be super practical, and I’m excited to share my thoughts about it today.

A moment of context:

Thus far in our discussion of motivation, I’ve made the following points:

• The word “motivation” is dangerous because it is a complex topic, and can easily become a “catch-all” phrase that hides the root cause of motivational challenges students experience. 

• Often when adults and educators use the word “unmotivated” to describe students’ behavior, it’s a coded way to make a value judgment against the student. We often mean that they have a bad attitude or are lazy, but we don’t want to be that negative, so we call the student “unmotivated” instead. 

• I proposed four immediate challenges that students face that are often easier to resolve than a generalized lack of motivation: (1) structural differences in the brain, (2) lack of access to the right learning tools, (3) a misunderstanding of the task at hand, and (4) a problem with the environment in which the student is working. 

• I also proposed a fifth challenge that affects a student’s motivation -- skill weaknesses in the areas of (1) learning, studying, and metacognition, (2) emotional regulation, and (3) habit formation. 

In this reflection, we are going to dive into three additional challenges to student motivation derived from the psychological framework Self Determination Theory.

1. Is it a lack of motivation or does the student need more AUTONOMY?

Self Determination Theory says that individuals are more motivated when they experience a sense of choice and control over their actions, otherwise known as autonomy. 

In my work incorporating the idea of “autonomy” into academic coaching with students, I see at least four parts: 

• Having meaningful choices personally and in school

• Feeling like you have choices, whether you do or not

• The opportunity to be yourself in academic settings, making decisions that align with your values and interests, and

• The option to consent to many of the activities you do. 

Important here is that students are given meaningful choices to make through the course of their family life and also their school life. When there is an opportunity to choose, a student is often more motivated. 

When there are no meaningful choices available, it is also important for a student to look intentionally for areas where they are at choice. This is largely a mindset skill, and it requires that a student (1) understand the importance of autonomy, and (2) search for ways that it is present in their life. 

For example, a teacher doesn’t give them a choice about taking a test. But the student can choose how they study for that test. This is one of the most exciting things about studying (from my anti-boring perspective) -- you can’t choose how you are taught by your teacher or even what you are taught. But when you get home, you can choose how you study it! This can be very empowering. 

I also try to incorporate the idea of consent into the way I coach students. From my expert perspective, there are times when a student needs to learn something they don’t know -- like the brain science surrounding learning. However, I don’t just want to lecture about neuroscience to students. Instead, I want to allow them to consent to the idea. 

I started noticing that time after time, I followed a procedure in talking to my student clients that I now call “The Consent Burger:”

• I would empathize with the student’s situation and tell them that I have some information that might help them. I would then ask them whether they would like to learn this information and tell them exactly how long it would take. You can visualize this as the top bun of the burger.

• When the student said “yes” (and they usually did), I would then give them the “mini-lecture” on the topic I identified as important. You can visualize this as the veggie or beef pattie of the burger. 

• Then at the end, I would ask the student whether there was anything of value in that lecture and what they would like to do with the information. You can visualize this as the bottom bun on the burger.

Do you see how this process balances (1) my need to give the student information they don’t already have while simultaneously (2) respecting the student’s autonomy?

If you would like to learn more about the consent burger, I invite you to head on over to the “library” and download my free report for educators about how to put the consent burger into action -- whether you are a classroom teacher or a one-to-one coach or tutor. 

2. Is it a lack of motivation or is the student not feeling COMPETENT? 

The second element of Self Determination Theory points to an individual’s need to feel competent. People have an inherent desire to feel effective and capable, which can be done when individuals master tasks, learn new skills, and experience a sense of accomplishment. 

When I am coaching a student around issues related to motivation, I pay particular attention to the following:

• The degree to which they feel effective or ineffective with the topic in question

• Past failures or successes they’ve experienced, and more importantly, their internalized beliefs about those failures and successes

• What skills they might need to acquire to feel more competent 

• What kind of a visual scorecard they need to help them see their improvement

If a student has some negative beliefs about themselves because of past experiences, we try to address those head on––and I try to help them see that their self-concept is part of what is dampening their motivation to take action. 

We try to get super concrete about what skills they need to acquire to move them toward feeling more competent, and I help them create an actual graph or scorecard in which we can map their progress. Countless studies show that when individuals track their progress visually, they are more likely to feel motivated to continue taking action. 

In the Anti-Boring Learning Lab, we have an entire micro-credential devoted to teaching educators some ways to help students visually track their progress, in what I call The Habit and Grades Tracker. 

Teachers and coaches report to me that this tracker has been a game changer in school-based study skills classes and one-to-one academic/EF/ADHD coaching. 

Why might that be?! Because of students’ inherent need to feel competent and effective. 

3. Is it a lack of motivation or is the student not feeling RELATEDNESS?

Finally, Self Determination Theory highlights the importance of our social connections and relationships in helping us feel motivated. Concerning students, I like to emphasize the need for:

•  A sense of belonging in school communities,

• The experience of true connection and empathy, and

• The sense of having a team.

Remember the Consent Burger, which I described above? Did you notice that the very first step of the process is to express empathy, to show the student you have heard them and understand what they are going through?

This is Relatedness in action. Students will be much more motivated to learn something new if they feel connected to the person sharing the information and if they feel that person empathizing with them. 

When I train educators, I like to emphasize the importance of helping students see how many people they have on their team! It is easy to feel alone and isolated in a school system that is meant to herd large numbers of students through the system. I love to help students understand that they have a team and that each member of the team can play a specific role in supporting them. 

Maybe they can ask their parents to ensure that they get an assignment finished before going over to a friend’s house? Maybe they can ask a friend to study with them? Maybe they can go to a coffee shop and use all the other quiet focused people as members of their team? 

In this final example, do you see how it weaves together autonomy, competence, and relatedness? When students realize that they have the power to invite their parents to support them (rather than just be victims of a parent nagging), they feel more capable, and they are more connected to their parents in a way that is meaningful to them. 

As both a classroom teacher and a coach, I have found Self Determination Theory to be compelling. It’s a self-fulfilling theory, because the better I get at helping students feel autonomous, competent, and related, the more autonomous, competent, and related I feel about myself! 

Download the Motivation Checklist

Your next step, should you choose to take it, is to download The Motivation Checklist, a one-page tool that enables you to better discuss motivation with students. 

Also, please take a moment to think about which one of these components you can improve in your work with students. I, for example, can do a better job at truly expressing empathy without peppering the student with a lot of questions. What about you? 

We have one more post in this series, and I’m excited to discuss the final three elements of our checklist with you there.

Enjoying this series on Motivation? Then you’ll definitely want to join me for a brand-new presentation on student motivation this Saturday, exclusively for people inside my Anti-Boring Learning Lab! Sign up here to get a 7-day free trial (no credit card required!) of the Lab when the doors open on February 29, 2024!