Student motivation naturally has to do with students??desire to participate in the learning process. But it also concerns the reasons or goals that underlie their involvement or noninvolvement in academic activities. Although students may be equally motivated to perform a task，the sources of their motivation may differ.
A student who is intr insica lly motivated undertakes an activity for its own sake，for the enjoyment it provides，the learning it permits，or the feelings of accomplishment it evokes. An extr insically motivated student performs in order to obtain some reward or avoid some punishment external to the activity itself，such as grades，stickers，or teacher approval.
The term motiva tion to learn has a slightly different meaning. It is defined by one author as“ the meaningfulness，value，and benefits of academic tasks to the learner - regardless of whether or not they are intrinsically interesting ”. Another notes that motivation to learn is characterized by long-term，quality involvement in learning and commitment to the process of learning.
Wha t factors influence the development of students??motivation ?
According to Jere Brophy ( 1987) ，motivation to learn is a competence acquired“ through general experience but stimulated most directly through modeling,communication of expectations，and direct instruction or socializa- tion by significant
others ( especially parents and teachers) . ”
Children??s home environment shapes the initial constellation of attitudes they develop toward learning. When parents nurture their children??s natural curiosity about the world by welcoming their questions，encouraging explora- tion，and familiarizing them with resources that can enlarge their world，they are giving their children the message that learning is worthwhile and frequently fun and satisfying.
When children are raised in a home that nurtures a sense of self -worth,competence，autonomy，and self-efficacy，they will be more apt to accept the risks inherent in learning. Conversely，when children do not view themselves as basically competent and able，their freedom to engage in academically challenging pursuits and capacity to tolerate and cope with failure are greatly diminished.
Once children start school，they begin forming beliefs about their school-related successes and failures. The sources to which children attribute their successes( commonly effort，ability，luck，or level of task difficulty ) and failures ( often lack of ability or lack of effort ) have important implications for how they approach and cope with learning situations.
The beliefs teachers themselves have about teaching and learning and the nature of the expectations they hold for students also exert a powerful influence. As Deborah Stipek ( 1988 ) notes，“ To a very large degree，students expect to learn if their teachers expect them to learn. ”
Schoolwide goals，policies，and procedures also interact with classroom climate and practices to affirm or alter students increasingly complex learning-related attitudes and beliefs.
And developmental changes comprise one more strand of the motivational web.
For example，although young children tend to maintain high expectations for success even in the face of repeated failure，older students do not. And although younger children tend to see effort as uniformly positive，older children view it as a“ doubleedged
sword”. To them，failure following high effort appears to carry more negative implications - especially for their self -concept of ability - than failure that results from minimal or no effort.
Wha t ca n be done to help unmotiva ted students?
A process called ATTRIBUTION RETRAINING，which involves model- ing,socialization，and practice exercises，is sometimes used with discouraged students.
The goals of attribution retraining are to help students to ( 1) concentrate on the tasks rather than becoming distracted by fear of failure; ( 2 ) respond to frustration by retracing their steps to find mistakes or figuring out alternative ways of approaching a problem instead of giving up; and ( 3) attribute their failures to insufficient effort，lack of information，or reliance on ineffective strategies rather than to lack of ability.
Because the potential payoff - having students who value learning for its own sake - is priceless，it is crucial for parents，teachers，and school leaders to devote themselves fully to engendering，maintaining，and rekindling students??motivation to learn.
Notes on language a nd cultur e
1. propel: drive forward
2. interact with: act in such a way as to have an effect on each other
3. shrink: become or make smaller in size or amount
4. drudgery: hard，menial，or dull work
5. for something’s sake: for the purpose of; in the interest of ; in order to achieve or preserve
6. apathy: lack of interest，enthusiasm，or concern
7. motivation: reason one has for acting or behaving in a particular way
8. intrinsically: essentially
9. evoke: call up; bring out
10. extrinsically: not part of the essential nature of someone or something; coming or operating from outside
11. regardless of: without paying attention to the present situation; despite the prevailing circumstances
12. commitment: state or quality of being dedicated to a cause or activity
13. initial: existing or occurring at the beginning
14. constellation: a group of associated or similar people or things
15. nurture: care for and encourage the growth or development of
16. autonomy: right or condition of self-government，especially in a particular sphere
17. efficacy: ability to produce a desired or intended result
18. be apt to: have a tendency to do something
19. inherent: existing in something as a permanent，essential，or characteristic attribute
20. conversely: in an opposite manner ( introducing a statement or idea which reverses one that has just been made or referred to)
21. diminish: make or become less
22. implication: conclusion that can be drawn from something although it is not explicitly stated
23. affirm: declare positively
24. strand: ( 量词) 股; 缕; 条。( 故事等) 发展的线索或情节
25. attribution: 归因
