Motivation and Middle School Students

What is it about?

This article reviews research on academic motivation during the middle grades years (i.e., early adolescence). Research indicates that for early adolescents in particular, there are many benefits to emphasizing mastery and effort and self-comparisons, rather than emphasizing grades and test scores and comparisons between students. Teachers can use specific instructional practices that will help students to focus more on mastery.

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Why is it important?

Many parents, teachers, and policymakers believe that a decline in motivation is inevitable for middle school students. But research does not support this belief. In this article, we review research that demonstrates how educators can actually enhance academic motivation during the middle school years.

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