Motivation In Middle School Students

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Administrative staffs and other school personnel play an important role in the success of all students academically. Teachers and other school personnel have become concerned about students’ performance in mathematics, especially among middle-school aged students; as such, they are all looking for strategies and methods to assist students in reaching the goal of their schools and their state’s mandate. Principals are pressured by their district to have their schools perform well in the state’s national examination, and teachers are pressured by their principals to have their students perform well in the state’s national examination, especially in mathematics, but to have a successful result for both teachers and students, the role of the administrative staffs should be supportive of their teachers and provide the necessary training and interventions if necessary, especially for new and older teachers. The administration has to also be in support of the decisions teachers make in the classroom. This will allow students to see that all staff members are united and they do not have any choice but to be cooperative with classroom teachers. Other ways administrators can support teachers is to recognize teachers and their accomplishment because this will allow them to be empowered and are willing to explore experiences that will allow them to grow (Gardner-Webb University, n.d.). How Can Behavioral Problems in the Classroom and the School Environment be prevented? This is a question asked by many of the teachers in my school’s environment. As a matter of fact, our school has lost seven teachers since the beginning of this school year. This is because the behavioral problems in the classroom have been overwhelming, and many of them feel like there is not enough support for teachers at the school. In a study done by Duke (1989), one component of preventive discipline is to have a commitment on the part of all staff, establishing and maintaining appropriate student’s behavior as an important element of learning, and in a well-disciplined school, there is a school wide emphasis on the importance of learning and tolerance of conditions which will facilitate learning (as cited in Cotton, 1990). It is also important that all teachers develop the skill of effective classroom managers. According to Kounin (1970), effective classroom managers are those who are skilled at preventing disruptions from taking place in the classroom and engage students in the focus of learning (as cited in Cotton, 1970). It may seem challenging for students to be engaged …show more content…
“Motivation is seen as a pre-requisite of and a necessary element for student engagement in learning” (Saeed & Zyngier, 2012, p. 252), hence teachers have to identify and use motivational strategies to engage students in learning; because motivation and engagement is viewed as important elements that will enhance the learning outcomes of all students (Schlechty, 2001; Woolfolk & Margetts, 2007, as cited in Saeed & Zyngier, 2012). Even though it might have been a struggle to motivate middle school students in the learning process, it is important to understand that “motivation can positively influence study strategy, academic performance, adjustment and well-being in students’ domain of education” (Kusurkar, Cate, Vos, Westers, & Croiset, 2012, p. 58); when students know that they have teachers will go the extra mile to ensure a successful learning encounter, they will get out their comfort zone become more interested in the learning

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