Motivation in students: 3 Keys to increase it

The motivation of students is a matter of current concern, since in developed countries academic results seem to worsen with each generation and school dropouts grow more and more.

In this sense, motivation feeds the interest to continue with the formative stage, since when a student is really motivated, he attributes success to his effort and this motivates him to continue making an effort and learning, thus his it is getting stronger.

What can we do as teachers to encourage this type of student motivation?

In this article you will find information about the influence of motivation on learning, the different types that exist and how we can promote it in the classroom.

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student motivation

Within the educational field, motivation can be defined as the cause that encourages the student to carry out the tasks that are required in school to learn training content and skills.

However, more broadly, it also includes the drive to perform the task and the activation of cognitive resources to learn.

That is to say, motivation is an internal state which includes the student’s reason for learning, the value and meaning he attributes to the task, the feeling of competence in front of it and the level of activity to achieve it.

The willingness to learn, as well as the interest that the student shows in his education largely depends on the motivation of the studentswhich makes a difference in academic development.

Through motivation, students can progress in their skills and abilities and even .

Role of motivation in student learning

Learning depends not only on the knowledge and abilities of the student, but also on the willingness and interest that you actively show to learn. In other words, the development of the student’s potential depends directly on the attitude and intention with which they respond to new learning challenges, and these two factors depend mainly on their motivation.

Human beings have, by nature, the intrinsic desire to learn and . That is, motivation, without which learning is inconceivable.

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However, the students are not always motivated, since the school presents higher demands than the usual life. They must learn more complex skills and concepts faster, which in turn requires more effort and an additional boost to help them in their process acquisition of knowledge and skills.

The more motivated a student is, the greater commitment and involvement he will show in the study. The attention and dedication to their tasks will be greater and, as a result, it will be easier for them to meet their academic goals.


For example, mastery of spelling is a process that lasts years. Before achieving this, almost daily exercises are necessary and we cannot expect boys and girls to be constantly motivated to make efforts spontaneously. Therefore, the teacher must fulfill an important function of guidance and support to keep your students motivated.

Role of the teacher in the motivation of students

We have to understand that the teacher is, first of all, , not a simple transmitter of knowledge. In addition, at all times it is a transmitter of emotions and dynamics that define a more or less adequate emotional environment for meaningful learning to occur.

In this sense, teacher motivation is key to generate a motivating, constructive and trusting environment, optimal to arouse the curiosity and desire to learn of the students.

In addition, his role is to be a catalyst, a figure capable of give meaning and applicability to what it teaches. It is a fundamental actor in the teaching process that promotes attitudes, emotions and feelings.

What is the student’s motivation to learn?

The vast amounts of data and information a student receives throughout their education can be overwhelming and not conducive to effective learning unless the student feels or develop interest in what is being taught.

Additionally, the habit of giving greater importance to the academic result is maintained, which represents a constant pressure that leaves little room for that the student enjoys the learning process.

In such a way that creative processes are required to awaken the motivation of a student, since their interest is fueled when they dream, invent, are curious and connect with the desire to learn for themselves.


As it exposes
Richard Gerver:

“The good thing about education is in the experience, in the joy of discovering something. In the satisfaction of having a question and being able to find an answer and not necessarily in the answer itself.”

Intrinsic motivation: a key to learning

Intrinsic motivation is the key to deep and lasting learning. Likewise, each student has a personal motivation when it comes to learning.

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For some, the motivation to learn may be in the need to satisfy their curiosity about something particular or interest in a subject, in the excitement and enjoyment they experience in acquiring knowledge and developing skills, or perhaps simply in the desire to excel or improve themselves. master a task

intrinsic motivation it is linked to the emotions that the task itself arouses in the student and is more powerful and easier to sustain over time than extrinsic motivation – based on rewards and punishments -, because it is born from within and provides a true meaning or reason for learning.

So, learning must be meaningful and must rebuild knowledge with creativity based on critical-argumentative capacity and of one reflective attitude.

What happens when applying self-motivation?

When we connect with a sense of why we do what we’re doing, we stay motivated.

In education, the intrinsic motivationis the internal process by which students feel a independent desire to learn, improve their grades, expand their knowledge and set goals related to what they are learning.

Being self-motivated is finding the reasons and developing the enthusiasm to learn. Through this ability we direct the internal force to influence our state of mind, producing energy to achieve what we want.

The motivation that comes from within strengthens us and we ourselves are the key piece to foster our levels of motivation, since our thoughts condition the actions we carry out and consequently our experience regarding them.

The way we live things it is generated in us and that is what drives us in lifewithout this depending on third parties.


“If you believe it will work, you will see opportunities. If you think it won’t, you’ll see obstacles.”

Factors influencing student motivation


The role of self-concept

Some research on motivation in students expose the idea that students act and perform not as what they are, but like what they think they are.

In other words, , students’ perceptions of themselves and their abilitiesplay a key role in behavior and school learning.

In this sense, the way a teacher perceives himself influences his way of perceiving and behaving with the group of students to the point of largely determining their performance.

That is why it is essential that the teacher be aware of their own beliefs and prejudices that may be affecting their interactions in the classroom, and be able to see beyond the disruptive behavior of their students, in order to go from looking at them with “eyes of judgment” to offer them a “glance of opportunity”.

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This way of perceiving students favors their self-concept, their motivation and the development of their potential.

The effect of beliefs on student motivation

As teachers it is important to be aware that what we have influence the way we act with studentssince the limitations of our self-concept affect our way of perceiving others.

If the beliefs about myself are of the type: “I am clumsy” or “incapable”, I will hardly be able to recognize the intelligence or the abilities of the students. And if at the moment of wanting to motivate students we start from beliefs like: “I’m not worth anything”, could we really motivate them?

Beliefs have great power in achieving our objectives as teachers, since they directly influence our self-esteem, motivation and way of . In such a way that our actions, decisions and experiences in the classroom are a consequence of our beliefs.

If we observe and question ourselves, we can identify and work our beliefs to relate to others from a better version of ourselves, which is key to become true mentors of our students.

Teacher expectations

Continuing with the theme of beliefs and focusing on the educational context, there isthe tendency to label students with qualifiers such as: “lazy”, “bad influence”, “slow”, “insecure”, “shy”, “nervous”, etc.

When a teacher labels a student for their behavior, based on his beliefs and stereotypes, he ends up treating him as such and causes him to assume those roles as true.

Students perceive the expectations that the teacher feels towards them through the way they interact with each other. In such a way that students internalize these behaviors until match their motivation and modes of action with the perceived expectation.

Thus, labels classify and limit resulting in students behaving that way.

To a large degree, it is the teacher’s perception that creates that reality, since it is the result of the projection of their unsatisfied needs. It is a reflection of their own weaknesses, lack of knowledge and ability to manage the role of educator.

the pygmalion effect

In the field of education, the pygmalion effect has to do with the influence that a teacher’s beliefs and expectations can exert on the performance, behavior, abilities and self-concept of their students.

In 1966 Rosenthal and Jacobson carried out an experiment illustrating the extent of influence of teacher expectations in his students. The researchers told the group of teachers that the students they had been assigned showed high…