Fostering Intrinsic Motivation in Students: A Wicked Problem

As a middle school math teacher, there are many challenges that I face every year. The one that is the most persistent and difficult to overcome is the lack of intrinsic motivation that I see among my students. There are some students who enter my classroom with little interest in the subject and believe that math will have no part in their future. Their goal is to simply pass the class and show minimal effort and no desire to engage with the material. On the other end of the spectrum, there are students who excel academically, but become complacent. They feel that they have already mastered the material, secured their grade, and see no reason to push themselves further.

This issue is not unique to my classroom. It is a widespread concern that many other educators encounter. How can we increase student engagement and get our students learning for the sake of growth rather than grades?  To better understand this wicked problem, I conducted a survey among educators to gather their insights and experiences. I used the data collected from this survey, along with research from others studying this challenge, to create the presentation below.

This presentation allowed me to find some underlying factors that may be contributing to the disengagement or complacency that we can see among students. By examining these, I hope to find potential solutions that can be used to help inspire a love of learning instead of external rewards. Through the incorporation of student choice, creating a classroom environment that supports growth and mistakes, or increasing parental involvement, the goal is to shift focus towards internal satisfaction and personal growth.

With the coming school year around the corner, I fully intend on testing some of the strategies to increase intrinsic motivation in my classroom and creating an environment where my students are encouraged to continually ask questions and challenge themselves. ”Research on curiosity shows that it tends to flourish best in an environment where questioning is modeled and encouraged - whether by a teacher in a classroom, a parent in a home, or a chief executive of a company” (Berger, 2024, p.148). When we encourage our students to be curious and view learning as a journey rather than a destination, we open the door for their intrinsic motivation to take root and flourish. This is how lifelong learners are made.

Through my work on this project, I aim to initiate a broader discussion on how we can collectively tackle the issue of intrinsic motivation in our classrooms. By sharing strategies and insights, we can work together to create learning environments that inspire all students to reach their full potential. Ultimately, the challenge of motivating students is not just about helping them succeed academically, but helping them grow and develop a passion for learning.

References:

Banko, N. (2024). Wicked problems presentation. https://view.genially.com/66b00704e9a3b62362c43f6c/presentation-wicked-problem-presentation

Berger, W. (2024). A more beautiful question: The power of inquiry to spark breakthrough ideas. Bloomsbury.

Wix. Computer learning [Photograph]. Wix. https://static.wixstatic.com/media/11062b_1df9a27bf936425fab583ae62de96024~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_525,h_350,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/11062b_1df9a27bf936425fab583ae62de96024~mv2.jpg

Wix. Students [Photograph]. Wix. https://static.wixstatic.com/media/11062b_88735cfa15b54038b6ca6c2dd0e2ac96~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_525,h_198,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/11062b_88735cfa15b54038b6ca6c2dd0e2ac96~mv2.jpg

Wix. Students building windmill [Photograph]. Wix. https://static.wixstatic.com/media/11062b_fd76ab293755429c93f542caef0745df~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_525,h_350,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/11062b_fd76ab293755429c93f542caef0745df~mv2.jpg