An 8 page research paper that offers the outline for a proposed research study into motivational factors for high school students. There is an old saying that you can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make it drink. Likewise, high school teachers constantly try to offer the curriculum in a manner that engages their students minds, but fail to connect with many of the adolescents that they are trying to reach. In 1984 and 1989 a Gallup/Phi Delta Kappa national poll of educators found that lack of student motivation was a top concern of all public school teachers surveyed (Gonzalez, 2002). The question that these teachers ask, that is, "what is the key to unlocking student motivation," is the principal question to be addressed by this proposed study. The paper consists primarily of a review of literature on this topic before discussing possible ways to complete the proposed research study. Bibliography lists 10 sources.
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curriculum in a manner that engages their students minds, but fail to connect with many of the adolescents that they are trying to reach. In 1984 and 1989 a Gallup/Phi
Delta Kappa national poll of educators found that lack of student motivation was a top concern of all public school teachers surveyed (Gonzalez, 2002). The question that these teachers ask,
that is, "what is the key to unlocking student motivation," is the principal question to be addressed by this proposed study. Review of Literature Ferrer-Caja and Weiss (2002)
observe that motivation is a principal area of research in psychology. Addressing why individuals engage in specific behaviors and avoid others lies at the heart of psychological inquiry (Ferrer-Caja and
Weiss, 2002). Psychologist Abraham Maslow addressed the topic of motivation in his model of human development, which pictures human needs and motivation as hierarchical in structure (Holme, et al, 1972).
The model espoused by Maslow pictures basic needs, such as hunger, affection, and security, as being at the bottom of this hierarchy (Holme, et al, 1972). Once these needs are
met, metaneeds, i.e. needs that are not essential for survival, but are essential for self-actualization, can be met. These needs include justice, goodness, beauty and order, as well as needs
that pertain to self actualization and education (Holme, et al, 1972). In Maslows theory, the hierarchy of needs indicates the ways in which a healthy individual will continually strive for
increasing self-actualization. This implies that people whose basic needs are met are naturally oriented in a positive manner toward the future. The question for educators is how to encourage such
a positive orientation. A great deal of research has been devoted to this topic. Anderman (2004) points out that researchers have had only a an "on-again, off-again" relationship with