Motivation of students is possibly the most significant challenge that science educators face because science is commonly seen as boring and difficult by students. The question that guided my research was “How can I motivate unengaged science students?” Although I was interested in the topic generally, I wanted to find practical strategies that I can apply in real classrooms.
Why is motivation important in the classroom?
- Motivated students pay attention and participate
- Motivated students enjoy learning and are more successful
- Future generations of scientists and scientifically literate citizens are needed
Why do students lose motivation for science?
- Negative beliefs about science
- Negative experiences in science classes
- Lack of role models that encourage interest in science
ELL students
- Language barrier makes it difficult for ELL students to understand scientific concepts
- Converting material to a different format can help ELL students learn the concepts
- Hands-on activities help ELL students understand material rather than memorize it
Correlates with sustained motivation
- High motivation associated with mid-high SES, science role models, and extracurricular science activities.
- Low motivation associated with low-mid SES and a lack of science role models and extracurricular science activities.
Motivation vs. Inspiration
- Motivation is self-focused and comes from within
- Intrinsic enjoyment is the strongest driver of motivation
- Inspiration is other-focused and comes from others
- People become inspired when their passions and talents match up
Funds of knowledge
- Knowledge that a person has from their life experiences
- Important for achieving out-of-school goals
- Connecting funds of knowledge to science concepts can make science more accessible
- Project-based science allows students to do activities that match their interests and goals
What types of activities motivate students?
- Opportunity for success
- Novel tasks
- Integration of student choice
- Relevance of material
- A variety of types of activities
- Collaboration between students
- Clear goals
Mentorship with scientists
- Student works with a scientist in an authentic setting
- Most students enjoy these mentorship programs
- Students increase their scientific self-efficacy and interest in science careers
Humour as a motivator
- Enhances recall of information
- Creates a relaxed and friendly environment
- Humour should be used to laugh with students
- Too much humour lowers students’ perception of teacher credibility
- Humour can be used for instruction by paraphrasing the concept afterwards