0.4 Motivational challenges in the classroom  (Page 3/3)

Perfectionism

Students who tend to be perfectionists, like those who exhibit learned helplessness, are motivated by an aversion to failure. Research suggests acontinuum of perfectionist tendencies, ranging from healthy to dysfunctional (Christopher, 2010). While a healthy dose of perfectionism can driveindividuals towards great accomplishments, dysfunctional perfectionists set unrealistic goals, are overly sensitive to critique, and can become paralyzedby their fear of failure.

Many of the approaches to reducing students’ tendencies towards perfectionism are similar to those designed to help students who show learnedhelplessness and self-handicapping.

• Help students set challenging, yet achievable goals. Realistic goal setting is important to cultivate for all students; perfectionist students need positivesupport while developing this skill.
• Focus evaluative feedback on the product, rather than the person. Remind perfectionists that feedback is an important tool in the quest for mastery. Askthem to use the feedback to set goals for future performance. See also “ Supporting the need for competence .”
• When students are devastated by a less than perfect performance, encourage them to list as many positive aspects of the performance as they can. Help them seethat ‘less than perfect’ does not equal ‘failure.’

(University of Texas at Austin Counseling and Mental Health Center, 2012).

Disengagement

Perhaps the most challenging situation in the classroom is working with students who are alienated or disaffected from the learning process (Brophy, 1998).Disengagement is characterized by apathy, lack of effort, avoidance - when possible - and frustration or noncompliance when avoidance is not an option(Skinner, Kinderman,&Furrer, 2009). Although the reasons for disengagement vary, it is important for teachers to strive to reconnect thestudent to learning and to school.

• Foster a sense of belonging in the classroom. Develop positive, supportive relationships with disengaged students, even when they seem to resist. Studentswho believe that their teacher cares about them are and who feel connected to the classroom community are more likely to adopt positive classroom behaviors,such as effort and persistence (Ryan&Deci, 2000).
• Strive to connect learning with students’ interests. While boredom can be a factor in procrastination , it also leads to disengagement. Getting to know students’ background, interests, hobbies, etc. will help create opportunities for developingmeaningful, relevant learning experiences.
• Help students to take responsibility for their actions, and to attribute their successes and failures to factors within their control. Teach them to find (orcreate) challenges in order to make the task more engaging (Brophy, 1998).

Teachers will encounter many challenges as they seek to foster students’ motivation to learn. Drawing on theories of motivation, research points ustoward effective ways to tackle the challenges.

Further resources

Self-Handicapping

Learned Helplessness: Why Bother?

Dealing with Perfectionism

References

Brophy, J. (1998). Motivating students to learn. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Christopher, M. (2010). The relationship of perfectionism to affective variables in gifted and highly able children. Gifted Child Today , 33 (3), 20-30.

Cleary, T. J. and Zimmerman, B. J. (2004). Self-regulation empowerment program: A school-based program to enhance self-regulated and self-motivated cycles ofstudent learning. Psychology In The Schools , 41 (5), 537-550.

Ryan, R. M.,&Deci, E. L. (2000). Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being.American Psychologist, 55, 68-78.

Schubert Walker, L. W. (2000). Overcoming the powerlessness of procrastination. Guidance&Counseling , 16 (1), 39.

Schwinger, M. (2011). Prevention of self-handicapping — The protective function of mastery goals. Learning&Individual Differences , 21 (6), 699-709.

Shih, S. (2011). Perfectionism, implicit theories of intelligence, and Taiwanese eighth-grade students' academic engagement. Journal Of Educational Research , 104 (2), 131-142.

Skinner, E. A., Kinderman, T. A.,&Furrer, C. J. (2009). A motivational perspective on engagement and disaffection: Conceptualization and assessment ofchildren's behavioral and emotional participation in academic activities in the classroom. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 69 (3): 493-525. doi: 10.1177/0013164408323233

University of Texas at Austin Counseling and Mental Health Center (2012). Perfectionism versus healthy striving. Retrieved from http://cmhc.utexas.edu/perfectionism.html

Urdan, T. (2004) Predictors of academic self-handicapping and achievement: Examining achievement goals, classroom goal structures, and culture. Journal of Educational Psychology, 96 (2), 251-264.

Weiner, B. (2005). Motivation from an attribution perspective and the social psychology of perceived competence. In A. Elliot&C. Dweck (Eds.), Handbook of Competence and Motivation, pp. 73-84. New York: Guilford Press.