Chapter 2: Understanding the Practical, Contextual, and Malleable Nature of Motivation—and why it matters

From pre-kindergarten through high school settings, there is strong evidence that student motivation is linked to desirable academic outcomes, including achievement, engagement, persistence, and effort (DeMarie et al., 2016; Lazowski & Hulleman, 2016;,Valentine et al., 2004). Students are not only motivated for something; they also are motivated because of something. In helping to create conditions that foster goals and reasons for learning, teachers play a vital role in supporting student motivation (Anderman et al., 2011). This role is particularly important given that, developmentally, many students report decreases in motivation over time and during important transitions (Martin, 2009; Turner & Meyer, 2004; Wigfield et al., 1998).