Written for teachers, this paper reviews basic concepts and issues relating to the topic of student motivation in the classroom and suggests strategies for teachers to use in motivating their students. The paper identifies four essential preconditions that must be in place if teachers are to motivate effectively and then provides descriptions and…

This article elaborates a presentation made upon reception of the E. L. Thorndike Career Achievement Award in Educational Psychology from Division 15 of the American Psychological Association. It considers how value aspects of motivation apply to efforts to develop students' appreciation for school learning. Currently, we have only limited…

This paper describes conceptualization and research on student motivation to learn, which is treated as the ideal motivational state for students in classroom settings and defined as the tendency of students to engage in academic activities with the intention of trying to get the intended academic benefits (knowledge and skills). Student…

Perfectionist students are not satisfied with merely doing well or even with doing better than their peers. They are satisfied only if they have done a job perfectly. Problems associated with forms of perfectionism that focus on seeking success are relatively minor, but problems associated with forms of perfectionism that focus on avoiding failure…

Perfectionist students are not satisfied with merely doing well or even with doing better than their peers. They are satisfied only if they have done a job perfectly. Problems associated with forms of perfectionism that focus on seeking success are relatively minor, but problems associated with forms of perfectionism that focus on avoiding failure…