ACADEMIC MOTIVATION FACTORS AT THE MIDDLE SCHOOL LEVEL, RESPONSIVE TEACHING, AND STUDENT VOICES

Date

2019-12

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Abstract

Increasing academic motivation in middle school students is an essential task for every teacher. The researcher assessed academic motivation factors within a large, low socio-economic, and ethnically diverse middle school in Southern California. The study included 140 middle school students (6th-8th), 16 middle school teachers, 2 administrators, and 3 special projects teachers. Participants answered open-ended questions about their experiences with academic motivation to identify factors that directly affect students’ academic motivation. The responses were coded for thematic relationships and frequencies. Findings revealed that middle school students are academically motivated by factors such as grades, encouragement, teaching methods, and access to curriculum. The study found that students listen to and value teachers’ words of encouragement. Administrators and teachers identified teaching methods as a leading motivating factor.

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Keywords

academic motivation, middle school students, encouragement, motivation at the middle school level, motivating students, responsive teacher, stage-environment fit theory, person-environment fit theory

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