How can I motivate a reluctant learner?

Most of us value a strong work ethic and intrinsic motivation.  When learner’s struggle to accomplish their goals, we often say:  “If only he were motivated, he wouldn’t have these problems!”  “There’s nothing wrong with her, she’s just a little lazy.”  “He needs to motivate himself.  There’s nothing much WE can do about that.”  Here’s what I hear my students say: “I guess I’m not very motivated” or “I just can’t get into the work. I have trouble motivating myself.”  The common conception seems to be that motivation is a pre-requisite; that it comes first, before other things follow.

            Here’s another perspective.  Jennifer Eccles and her colleagues[1] suggested that motivation might come at the end of a long sequence of events, rather than the beginning.  Their theory is called the Expectancy-Value Theory of Motivation.  It says that whether I am motivated to do something or not is a product of how successful I expect to be at the task and how much I value that task.  In other words, the equation that gives us motivation is a multiplication problem:

Expectation of success X Valuing the task = Motivation  

If this is true, then if either factor tends towards “zero”, motivation will also tend towards “zero”.  If I can do the task easily but don’t value it, I am not motivated to do it.  Similarly, if I struggle with something and failed to accomplish it multiple times, even if I value it greatly, I am likely to be unmotivated to try.  My son can make his bed and has repeatedly demonstrated that he can do it very well.  However, he does not value this task and is not motivated to make his bed without a lot of external reinforces.  Similarly, I have an inner ear problem that affects my balance.  So, although I greatly value the grace and skill of figure skaters, I have no expectation of succeeding at this sport, and I am not one bit motivated to succeed. 

            This is a very helpful way for educators and parents to understand motivation because it empowers us to help learners.  To help learners value a task, we can:

·      explore the learner’s values, passions, and interests collaboratively.

·      reveal the connection between the learner’s values and the task at hand.

·      help the learner to keep the focus on the end goal, which is to work towards a long-term goal that is valued while tackling day to day tasks.

·      empathize with the learner when the task at hand seems remote from a valued goal, and supporting the learner to engage nevertheless.

If it is important that learners have a foundation of success to build on so they can expect success in the task before them, we can:

·      select an entry point that is developmentally appropriate and that accounts for the learner’s readiness.

·      insure that the learner is well versed in the types of strategies and skills that will lead to success with the task at hand.

·      provide helpful and useful formative feedback to foster a growth mindset.

·      facilitate self-awareness so the learner is aware of how and why he or she was successful.

Ergo, if a learner is unmotivated, it may be that the learning environment (including teachers and mentors) has not provided that learner with the types of experiences that would engender motivation.  On the other hand, now we know what can be done, we have the power to shift a learner’s trajectory instead of throwing up our hands and saying, “The student is not motivated.  I can’t do anything about that!”

[1] Wigfield, A., & Eccles, J. S. (2000). Expectancy–value theory of achievement motivation. Contemporary educational psychology, 25(1), 68-81.