Support Student Autonomy In The Classroom

A widely observed behavior in students is their decrease in motivation. Many will label students as being ‘lazy’ or ‘careless’ with their work when in reality multiple factors are influencing their motivation to do well in school. Two kinds of motivation, intrinsic and extrinsic, are the primary influences on how students behave in school. Intrinsic motivation is very important because it is what makes students want to learn more because the reward is self-satisfaction and enjoyment in the tasks they are doing. If a student is more motivated by extrinsic motives it means they are working by external pressures or constraints such as grades. These students will tend to show more signs of extrinsic motivation, which in turn decreases intrinsic motivation. This decrease in intrinsic motivation is what sets many students apart from their seemingly more successful peers. In a study done by Henderlong and Lepper in 2002, it was shown that too much focus on extrinsic values leads to an overall decrease to perform in school because the intrinsic motivation has decreased. This also shows that intrinsic motivation is in fact what leads to students being motivated in school and in the classroom. Overall, intrinsic motivation is crucial to student wellness in terms of behavior, academics, and emotional wellbeing. Authoritative figures in the classroom such as teachers have the most influence on student motivation whether they are aware of it or not. This being said teachers

Education today is too Type X- meaning the emphasis on greater rewards for doing what you should do anyways is based on extrinsic rewards. The education system seems to be heavily based on carrots and sticks. The biggest way to motivate someone seems to be by dangling something, such as a carrot, in front of someone 's face or poking them with a stick. If you want a student to do something, why are they motivated with some type of compensation such as an A in the class? In his book, Drive, Daniel H. Pink divides motivation into three categories that evolved over time- Motivation 1.0, 2.0, 3.0. using these theories to challenge this motivation of carrot and sticks.

Intrinsic motivation is a key aspect of student success in school. Van den Broeck, Vansteenkiste, and De Witte (2013) define intrinsic motivation as, “the engagement in an activity for its own sake, that is, for the satisfaction and enjoyment experienced during the course of the activity itself” (p. 4). Educators encourage intrinsic motivation within their students as it boosts

This type of motivation is influenced heavily by rewards and external incentives. It also implies the notion that “I have to do something” in order to be compliant with what someone else wants me to do. It is a motivation that is primarily influenced by the hope of attaining tangible items such as prizes, special privileges, or money. Although Drive implies the heavy use of Motivation 2.0 by the corporate world, Pink also draws attention to the fact that schools typically operate under this mode, as well, and that it can have detrimental effects on our students and on learning, in general. Motivation 2.0 is also referred to in the book as the “Carrots and Sticks Approach”, and although it may yield positive results in the short-term, the repeated or incorrect use of extrinsic rewards can actually work against what educators are trying to achieve in terms of truly motivating their students.

Motivation has become a term as ubiquitous as it is undefinable. What exactly is motivation and how is it used to achieve a desired result? In many circumstances, individuals are motivated by different aspects at different times in their lives. Compounding this issue further are the environmental factors embedded in an individuals motivation. Depending on an individual's background, he or she may be motivated differently than others of similar socio economic circumstances. As such, it is quite difficult to appraise the merits of a single motivational characteristic or theory. This difficulty has given rise to numerous theories of motivation throughout history, each with its own distinct value. The problem with many of these theories is that they are imperfect by nature and do not encompass all possible options of behavior. This document will focus primarily on the achievement motivation theory established by Harackiewicz, Barron, Carter, Lehto, & Elliot in 1997 and how it can and cannot be used effectively within workplace situations.

He feels as though the many problems in the “academic promotion system” are because of these special rewards that teachers give to students to do better school work are doing more harm than good (Martin). Martin feels as though using the finding in Punished by Rewards in colleges/universities would change education in America for the better. Not only does he see the negative affects of rewards in education, he sees them in colleges, jobs, and competitions as well. The use of rewards causes people to do better; however, they do better for insufficient reasons. Though Brian Martin agrees with Koh’s ideas, he believes that the most harmful use of reward is seen through grades and/or degrees that are given to students. Students are only trying hard because they want a “good” grade, not because that actually want to learn; and this is a large problem in the field of education

Educators throughout the nation have become frustrated with the demand of how to encourage and motivate their students especially those that are not prepared academically and socially. In this case a student will generally display disruptive behavior, a lack of interest, and unrealistic ambitions. Once an educator is able to identify the different factors that affect a student’s motivation along with a few helpful strategies he or she will be able to create the educational motivation needed for effective student learning.

When researching student motivation one of the first sources that came up was Andrea Davis’ “Doing the Impossible: Motivating Middle School Students.” (Davis, 1). Davis explains that giving a student choices can make the world of

Besides, teachers do not spend much time sharing their skills and knowledge with one another. Teachers need a countless amount of autonomy if they are going to be dynamic and independence life long learners, and effective in the classroom. Teachers need to have the freedom to recommend the finest treatment for their students as doctors or lawyers do for their clients.

4 and Fig. 5 show the drop in total* motivation and types of motivation across marks achieved in the mid-year exams respectively. Fig. 4 shows a strong correlation to a linear regression line with an R2 value of 0.998. This would suggest that motivation has some impact on the process of learning. Fig. 5 shows the same as Fig. 4 except it is divided into both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Intrinsic motivation fits a linear regression model to a higher degree than extrinsic motivation, 0.92 to 0.82 respectively. This would suggest that there is more of a correlation between intrinsic motivation and academic learning than extrinsic motivation, however both appear to have some influence on the process of learning. This would suggest that intrinsic motivation has a larger impact on learning than being rewarded extrinsically through means of reinforcement and punishment. However there still appears to be an impact of extrinsic methods of motivation. This suggests that academic learning would be more effective when the person is intrinsically motivated in the learning

Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivations: Classic Definitions and New Directions. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 25(1), 54-67. doi:10.1006/ceps.1999.1020

Have you ever wondered why schools have the right to regulate student’s freedoms? Not only the fact that your child is under eighteen, you're letting your child walk onto the premises, which means, your child is under the schools watch. Yes, the school has the right to regulate my freedom.

With this students gain a strong sense of purpose and motivation to improve on their learning skills

Teacher autonomy has been gaining increasing interest among educational researchers, policy makers, administrators, and teachers over the past few decades. According to federal data from the National Center for Education Statistics (Sparks & Malkus, 2015) educators reported less classroom autonomy in school year 2011-12 compared to 2003-04. In an age of accountability reform, teachers feel their independence waning during a period of time marked by standardization, scripted curriculum, and high-stakes testing.

According to the text, people want autonomy – “to have some sense of control regarding the things they do and the directions their lives take” (p.435). Based on this statement, learners are “more likely to be intrinsically motivated when they have a sense of autonomy about their present circumstances,” meaning that they are more likely to (1) “voluntarily engage in [activities] for long periods,” (2) “think meaningfully and creatively about tasks and problems,” and (3) “undertake challenges that maximize long-term learning and development,” among other behaviors (p.436). One variable that can influence people’s sense of autonomy, and in turn affect motivation, is student choice, given that learners “have a greater sense of autonomy (and so are more intrinsically motivated) when they’re able to make choices… about the things they do and the outcomes for which