The problem of a drop in students’ motivation remains a contentious concern in most schools nowadays. Educators and scholars have provided and tested a variety of strategies for increasing students’ motivation, yet the effects of the said strategies have not been consistent enough to consider the issue resolved (Svennberg, Meckbach, & Redelius, 2018). Therefore, additional tools for keeping learners’ motivation rates high need to be introduced into the contemporary academic setting (Eggen & Kauchak, 2020, p. 429). By introducing changes into the existing grading system, namely, the change in the grade percentage assigned to each task and the introduction of self-determination, educators can raise the extent of students’ motivation significantly.
The introduction of the questions that cannot be easily googled and copied into the answer sheet is one of the strategies for encouraging learners to think. Once starting to disentangle a specific issue, they are likely to become gradually invested in it (Topçu & Leana-Taşcılar, 2018). Another important change to the current grading system may involve the percentage of the final grade assigned to each type of tasks. For instance, the final assignment being worth the entire 40% of the total grade sets the bar for good performance far too high for learners, which may demotivate them in their future performance (Vaessen et al., 2017). Finally, the current grading system needs to reflect the concept of self-determination as the ultimate characteristics of an independent learner (Eggen & Kauchak, 2020, p. 432). With the focus on self-directed education, students will be able to navigate their academic progress freely, thus gaining control over it and developing motivation subsequently.
Armed with the described techniques, educators will be able to change the direction of students’ learning toward a better and reinforced one. Namely, self-directed learning process will be launched, motivating students to build upon their current knowledge system to create a unique and strong structure. Thus, students will gain the level of motivation that will allow them to keep their enthusiasm for learning throughout their entire life. Moreover, an effective framework for addressing the needs of learners from different backgrounds when maintaining their motivation rates will be developed.
References
Eggen, P. & Kauchak, D. (2020). Using educational psychology in teaching. (11th ed.) Boston: Pearson Prentice Hall.
Svennberg, L., Meckbach, J., & Redelius, K. (2018). Swedish PE teachers struggle with assessment in a criterion-referenced grading system. Sport, Education and Society, 23(4), 381-393. Web.
Topçu, S., & Leana-Taşcılar, M. Z. (2018). The role of motivation and self-esteem in the academic achievement of Turkish gifted students. Gifted Education International, 34(1), 3-18. Web.
Vaessen, B. E., van den Beemt, A., van de Watering, G., van Meeuwen, L. W., Lemmens, L., & den Brok, P. (2017). Students’ perception of frequent assessments and its relation to motivation and grades in a statistics course: S pilot study. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 42(6), 872-886. Web.