Lack of Motivation Among Teenagers - Research Paper Example

? The causes and consequences of low motivation of teens and possible interventions. Lack of motivation among teenagers is an area of concern for parents and school administrators alike. Low motivation can manifest in the form of disinterest toward studies, unwillingness to participate in extracurricular activities and disinclination toward sports, etc. Low motivation was also closely linked to a plethora of other teenage problems, including "detrimental family background," "lack of preparation for learning," "disrespect for teachers," "participating in school violence," "truancy", "deviant behavior". (Vanderjagt, 2001, p.39) It this context, it is likely that inspiring and motivating teenagers can bring positive transformation in other areas of their lives, creating the groundwork for a healthy adult life. Sociologists have come up with several theories for explaining low motivation among high school students. There are also more practical reasons based on the political, economic and social conditions of the locality and country inhabited by the student. This essay will look into three aspects of low motivation among teens, namely causes, consequences and possible interventions. One of the major areas of deficiency that leads to low motivation among pupils is the way education systems are set up. For example, one of the lesser acknowledged reasons for low motivation in the classroom are inadequacy on part of instructors to prepare students for a class. Surveys reveal that many students do not understand the rationale for studying a particular subject and don't comprehend why they are attending classes on the subject. This will make them disinterested and prevent them from fully exploring ideas within the subject. But a bigger reason for student low motivation is “low self-efficacy” induced by poorly designed instructional programs. As researchers assert, “instructional programs designed to identify and label students who are lacking in the reading areas of decoding, fluency and comprehension have led to intensely negative perceptions about students' abilities even as the programs strive to correct their reading deficiencies...Others argue that the school curriculum can lead to low motivation by stifling children's choice in reading and continually setting limits on reading, which can permanently affect how students see themselves as readers. Whatever the origin, low motivation can seriously hinder a student's progress within the language arts classroom. (Seglem, 2006, p.76) Another cause for low motivation among highschoolers is their tendency to experiment with recreational drugs. There is also a correlation between early drug abuse and dysfunctional family background. Hence, drug abuse itself can be seen as a consequence of another social problem, namely broken homes. These days school playgrounds have become places of drug retailing and drug consumption. Research based on American schools has found that “Drug use increases as the grade level increases. Many students become involved in using illegal substances because of peer pressure and others due to an emotional need. A feeling for need fulfillment may propel adolescents into the destructive behavior of substance abuse.” (Vanderjagt, 2001, p.39) The atmosphere within the family, and especially the values transmitted from parents to children can play an important role in the motivation levels of teenagers. Adolescence is when individuals rebel from parental values and social norms and try to form an identity of their own – a process referred to by psychologists as 'individuation'. Teenagers face a lot of internal conflict, as their early parental molding comes into conflict with divergent set of values acquired from peers and society during adolescence. This leads to a period of uncertainly and personality re-adjustment, which resolves itself into a stable state by the end of adolescence. But if the home atmosphere, especially the relationship between parents is strained or broken, it can leave a lasting negative impact on the formative teenage personality and motivation levels. Also, the effects of family dysfunctionality can manifest differently on girls and boys. (Pinquart & Silbereisen, 2004, p.83) Another recognized factor in low motivation levels is lack of physical activity. Physical activity in the form of outdoor sports and games is an integral part of the process of growing up. Such exercise helps the body and mind grow to its full potential. A good foundation in physical education during teenage years is said to prepare students for physical activity for the rest of their lives. Educators should be worried if highschoolers are spotted shunning outdoor sports, as it could lead to making them adopt sedentary lifestyles as adults. More importantly, there is a definite correlation between lack of physical activity and low motivation levels. While this correlation is not so strong during teenage years, it strengthens during the next two decades of their lives. According to a nationwide survey of 2500 high school students, close to 56 percent of sampled students were found to have less than requisite physical training during high school years. Divided into groups A,B,C,D and E, with A being the group with highest physical activity and E being the least physically active group, the study found groups C,D and E to comprise nearly two thirds of the total sample. This situation poses a real challenge to school administrators. Further, the students falling in C, D and E classifications posed more problems for their teachers: “Their teachers found that they were a challenge to engage even in the best lessons, because of low motivation and lack of interest in most physical activities. Teachers often describe such students as "difficult to teach." We have a few examples of research on programs that successfully engage students that fit this profile, but it is an uphill challenge. While Group A and B students enjoyed physical education and participated wholeheartedly, regardless of the activity or the group to which they were assigned, Group C, D, and E students had not learned to value physical education and activity.” (Bogenschneider, et. al., 1998, p.33) It is also believed that a pupil's ability to perform metacognitive skills is both a cause and consequence of motivation levels. In order for students to perform reflective thinking, skillful learning, etc, they need metacognitive skills. The better students are those who take time to think about learning strategies and are able to assess their own performance in class. There are always a percentage of students in each class who are inherently gifted to work independently, and to “focus on understanding the material and are able to connect the content and instructional concepts to their own lives. As self-regulated learners, they use metacognitive abilities to plan, regulate, and assess their performance.” (Joseph, 2006, p.33) It is not surprising that usually such students have high motivation levels as well. On the other hand, most highschoolers do not possess sophisticated thinking and learning capability. This group of students needs encouragement from teachers and parents in order to establish and sustain constant focus on their learning activities. They also have a tendency to fall back into unproductive learning techniques. Even if they are able to read and interpret a text, this group of students does not easily trust their own understanding. Insofar as metacognition involves the ability to understand one's own learning process through a process of self-regulation, these students usually fall short of the mark. Their difficulties in the classroom lead to low motivation, which consequently discourages them from putting whole-hearted efforts. Hence a vicious cycle is established leading to consistent underperformance in tests. The vicious cycle of learning difficulty and low motivation is a phenomenon confined to the classroom. Outside of it, there is another manifest negative spiral, in which social and economic circumstances of the teenage student leads to low motivation levels in all facets of life. Consider the following statistics: “up to a quarter of all students are not graduating on time or not graduating at all. Students from low-income families are 4 times more likely to drop out of school than are students from high-income families. Approximately 1 in 10 youth from low-income families drop out of school (10.4%) compared with 2.5% in high-income families. According to the U.S. Bureau of the Census, 3.3 million people, or 11% of people ages 18 to 24 years, were high school dropouts in 2006. Almost 9% of 16- to 24-year-olds were considered to have dropped out of school prior to earning a diploma in 2007.” (White & Kelly, 2010, p.227) The consequences of low motivation don’t stop with high-school life, for it continues in adult life as well. For example, school dropouts are more likely to be unemployed in the future. Even if employed, they are only likely to find low status, minimum wage jobs than their graduate counterparts (who also have higher motivation). For example, the median earnings for high-school dropouts are around $12,000 compared to $20,000 for graduates of the same age. Similarly, another study revealed that high school dropouts are more likely to exhibit truancy, criminality and violent behavior, leading them to job and relationship problems. Their impact on the broader society is also problematic, for they hardly contribute to economic growth or pay taxes that cover for public welfare schemes. They nevertheless end up utilizing government welfare programs, making a net negative contribution to society. (White & Kelly, 2010, p.227) Depressing as the causes and consequences of low motivation among teenagers are, there is also scope for improving the situation. By properly planning and implementing scientifically backed intervention programs, motivation levels of students can be brought to optimal standards. For example, for adolescents with deficient metacognitive skills, there are a few things teachers can do to help. By adopting psychologically proven strategies, teachers can help highschoolers to “develop metacognitive awareness-the ability to be self-reflective learners by thinking about their own thinking. Through the life-long skill of metacognition, students are able to not only complete learning tasks, but very importantly, they are able to reflect on their cognitive processes. This means that learners are able to use their academic strengths to develop additional skills and understandings, moving toward greater intellectual maturity. Further, these learners are able to recognize their weaknesses and work through their shortcomings without undue frustration, acknowledging that learning can be challenging.” (Joseph, 2006, p.33) Similarly, with all the flaws in the design of instructional programs, by tinkering them and making them flexible and customized to individual preferences, educators can increase student involvement in the classroom. This is particularly salient with respect to arts and language classrooms. Under this new design, the experience of studying a novel can be totally transformed. For instance, once highschoolers identify for themselves the key ideas and themes in a novel, they share their views and experiences with other students reading the same novel. Through this creative exchange of ideas and perspectives, their individual learning style gets enriched and enhanced. They can then use their innate ability and intelligence to make a presentation to the classroom. In this new approach to course design, students express themselves creatively while also learning and growing in the process. “One of the most important aspects of this project is not the actual trailer or poster (and some have been phenomenal), but the reflections they write upon the completion of each product.” (Girod, et. al., 2005, p.4) But just as deficiency in metacognitive skills and instructional designs can be suitably compensated through intervention strategies on part of teachers and administrators, preventative steps could be taken for curbing school dropout rates. A model comprehensive prevention program will have the following basic ingredients. First, the program will integrate school-wide initiatives with special programs for pupils who are identified as 'at-risk' for school dropout. Second, a committee is formed with members picked from school staff, who are given the responsibility of identifying frequent absences early in the curve. (White & Kelly, 2010, p.227) Two types of absenteeism are looked for: 1. chronic and regular absence from class; and 2. sudden but prolonged absence from class. Upon detecting either of the two trends, the committee head shall get in touch with the parent or guardian to discuss plans for rectifying the student's attendance issues. “In addition to schoolwide and systemic interventions, students who are identified as being at risk for school dropout (e.g., because of truancy or past grade retention) are offered peer support, participation in programs to address specific skill deficiencies, and academic interventions. For example, an ongoing peer support group facilitated by the school counselor might include low socioeconomic status or minority students who discuss the common challenges the group faces. Skills-based programs (e.g., problem- solving and social skills groups) and interventions to support academic skills (e.g., study skills workshops held before school) are coordinated by the school counselor and led by adult volunteers or students at the local college. (White & Kelly, 2010, p.227) Finally, teenagers lagging behind in physical exercise can be taught to experience the 'Joy of Movement'. The idea here is to make physical exercise a 'fun' activity. Once highschoolers connect exercise to the notion of enjoyment, their eagerness to participate in sports increases. For example, going back to the nationwide study discussed earlier, students falling in groups A and B already experience the joy of movement, which is why they seek sports events and enthusiastically participate in them. Not only do they describe sports events as fun and enjoyable to get involved in, but also display a higher level of intensity for a sustained period of play. This instills in them valuable qualities like persistence, perseverance, etc, which would help them deal with crises in their adult-life in a mature way. (Mcdevitt, et. al., 2008, p.115) In conclusion and in sum, we learnt that several factors cause low motivation among teenagers. These include low socio-economic background, family dysfunctionality, lack of metacognition skills, and lack of physical activity. Recreational drug use is also identified as a key reason. Some of these causes are themselves consequences of low motivation, depending on the individual case history. In other words, what is a cause for one individual student can be the consequence for another. But what is undeniable is the close link between these malefic factors and their outcomes, which thwart proper growth and development of high school students and also continue to haunt them in their adult lives. Hence, timely intervention becomes very important. School administrators are already being proactive in coming up with creative intervention ideas for low motivation issues discussed above. Based on education psychology and sociological theories, these intervention methods are developed to cater to different groups of teenagers with different deficiency areas. Some of these intervention programs are already showing positive outcomes, which should give disadvantaged students hope. What is also needed is greater co-ordination between government agencies, school administrations and parents in implementing intervention programs. References: American School Counselor Association. (2003). The ASCA National Model: A framework for school counseling programs (2nd ed.). Alexandria, VA: Author. Bazargan, M., & West, K. (2006). Correlates of the Intention to Remain Sexually Inactive among Underserved Hispanic and African American High School Students. Journal of School Health, 76(1), 25+. Bogenschneider, K., Wu, M., Raffaelli, M., & Tsay, J. C. (1998). "Other Teens Drink, but Not My Kid": Does Parental Awareness of Adolescent Alcohol Use Protect Adolescents from Risky Consequences?. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 60(2), 356+. Ennis, C. D. (2010). On Their Own: Preparing Students for a Lifetime Students Will Appreciate Physical Activity If They Understand Its Usefulness, Acquire the Necessary Skills and Knowledge, and Enjoy Their Lessons. JOPERD--The Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance, 81(5), 17+. Fong, T. W. (2005). Pathological Gambling in Adolescents: No Longer Child's Play. 119+. Girod, M., Pardales, M., Cavanaugh, S., & Wadsworth, P. (2005). By Teens, for Teachers: a Descriptive Study of Adolescence. American Secondary Education, 33(2), 4+. Jones, B. M., Fleming, D. L., Henderson, J., & Henderson, C. E. (2002). Common Denominators: Assessing Hesitancy to Apply to a Selective Residential Math and Science Academy. Journal of Secondary Gifted Education, 13(4), 164+. Joseph, N. (2006). Strategies for Success: Teaching Metacognitive Skills to Adolescent Learners. New England Reading Association Journal, 42(1), 33+. Mcdevitt, T. M., Sheehan, E. P., Sinco, S. R., Cochran, L. S., Lauer, D., & Starr, N. L. (2008). These Are My Goals: Academic Self-Regulation in Reading by Middle-School Students. Reading Improvement, 45(3), 115+. Pinquart, M., & Silbereisen, R. K. (2004). Transmission of Values from Adolescents to Their Parents: The Role of Value Content and Authoritative Parenting. Adolescence, 39(153), 83+. Seglem, R. (2006). Ya Lit, Music and Movies: Creating Reel Interest in the Language Arts Classroom. ALAN Review, 33(3), 76+. Vanderjagt, D., Shen, J., & Hsieh, C. (2001). Elementary and Secondary Public School Principals' Perceptions of School Problems. Educational Research Quarterly, 25(2), 39+. White, S. W., & Kelly, F. D. (2010). The School Counselor's Role in School Dropout Prevention. Journal of Counseling and Development, 88(2), 227+. Read More