Motivation Matters: How New Research Can Help Teachers Boost Student Engagement
From the summary: [The author’s of this resource] “define key terms, discuss new research findings, and examine promising classroom strategies for improving students’ engagement in learning. The report is organized according to three major factors that contribute to student motivation: rewards and value, academic mindsets, and school-based relationships. It also explores the structural supports – measurement systems, teacher training, and the translation of research into practice – necessary for the scaling and long-term success of this work.”
This paper is of high quality as it provides important, detailed, and research-based information on factors that motivate students to work in school, while also discussing factors that adversely impact motivation. The authors also demonstrate the importance of schools adopting a growth mindset, including and the pros and cons of the “grit” movement. This information has the potential to have a high impact on student learning and can be very useful to educators as they attempt to close the gap between where students are in their learning and where they need to be. The message is communicated well through accessible language, well-formatted text, informative sub-headings, and highlighted key ideas.