Motivation in Shools

© CEO-CODE® | 2023

EDITOR: CEO-CODE®, Brunello Gianella, Gartenlaubenstrasse 15, CH-6430 Schwyz

The material for this CEO-CODE paper comes from Steven Reiss, PH.D.

Copyright by IDS Publishing Corporation

CEO-CODE PAPER: MOTIVATION IN SHOOLS

„Five of six common reasons for poor performance among adolescents also apply to poor performance among adults.“

Steven Reiss

MOTIVATION IN SHOOLS

When schools assess their students using placement tests, the area of motivation is often neglected. Educators mistakenly assume that all students are born with the potential to enjoy learning and that they accordingly need to put little effort into motivating students. However, the reality is that some students do not feel engaged by traditional classroom learning. Moreover, areas of interest vary widely even among intellectually interested students. Boredom in the classroom is a significant limitation on what students can learn.

The Reiss School Motivation Profile® (RSMP®) is used to assess what motivates middle and high school students.

The RSMP® can be used for the following purposes:

 Assessment of the causes of weak school and academic performance (poor grades).

 Assessment of a student‘s potential for violence

 Assessment of a student‘s interests with regard to a future career path

Six reasons for bad grades

Six reasons for bad grades

Harvey P. Mandel and Sander I. Marcus (1995) presented an exciting analysis of poor school performance among adolescents. Based on their work with thousands of students whose performance fell short of expectations, they concluded, „Underachieving students are indeed highly motivated-but with a goal other than getting good grades. And the key to helping them turn the corner and start performing well in school again is to figure out what their motivation is.“

I will discuss six common motivation-based factors for underachievement. You can find out something about each of these factors using standardized test scores in the Reiss School Motivation Profile (RSMP). Four of the six causes are something quite normal. Only two of them are possible symptoms of a mental disorder. When I say that underachievement is often the result of normal motivational factors, I‘m not saying that it‘s perfectly okay for teens to get bad grades in school. Rather, I am saying that the solution is not to treat misdiagnosed or nonexistent disorders.

By definition, underachievement refers to a chronic discrepancy between a person‘s overall performance and his or her achievement potential. Adolescents who perform too poorly receive grades that are far below their potential.

Six reasons for bad grades

Reason 1

Fear of failure

(high scores on the RSMP® scale for acceptance).

Some students struggle with school because they are not motivated to try hard enough and perform well. Typically, these students have a higher than average fear of failure (indicated by high scores on the RSMP® scale for acceptance). Because they expect to fail, they restrain their efforts (e.g., Atkinson & Feather, 1966).

They may exert effort on simple tasks, but not when challenged. They are also poor at handling criticism. When teachers or parents criticize them, they may disengage and stop listening. They may handle being criticized, yelled at, or evaluated poorly. These students will probably cope best if parents and teachers stand behind them and encourage them.

The vast majority of students referred to school psychologists score high on this scale.

Reason 2

Disinterest

(low scores on the RSMP® scale for curiosity).

Six reasons for bad grades

Some students struggle with school because they dislike intellectual effort. They are only willing to put in a minimum amount of learning effort to understand things.

The concept of disinterest is unpopular. Educators view curiosity as an innate pleasure, something that potentially motivates everyone. They suggest that teachers simply need to appeal to their students‘ innate curiosity to motivate them. I disagree with this view.

I believe that the learning process can be frustrating, especially when deep thinking is required. Although it feels good when we understand something, the learning process itself is not necessarily joyful. There is great variation in the degree to which students are willing to learn.

Students who are not curious do not like the learning process or particularly deep and persistent thinking.

Six reasons for bad grades

Reason 3 Lack of ambition (low scores on the RSMP® scale for power).

Lack of ambition is a third motivational problem that can lead to poor grades in school. These students are likely to be very slack and unfocused. They don‘t work hard enough to do well in school. They tend to score low on the RSMP® power scale.

Students with low RSMP® scores on power do not promote themselves. They set modest goals and avoid challenging directions because they don‘t want to try hard. Non-ambitious students who are bright may achieve average to aboveaverage scores, but only if they can achieve them without doing much to achieve them.

These students may be willing to work at a moderate pace, but no more. If pushed to do more, they may drop out. They will likely avoid challenging areas but do valiantly in moderately challenging areas. How „challenging“ or „moderately challenging“ is defined depends, of course, on the student‘s cognitive potential. After completing their schooling, these individuals may continue to avoid intense work.

They will likely fall short of their potential throughout their lives, not because they are not competent, but because they are motivated in other directions.

Reason 4

Disorganization

(low values on the RSMP® scale for order)

Six reasons for bad grades

Students who have low scores on the tidiness scale tend to be disorganized. They may fare poorly in school because some teachers may devalue them for carelessness, inattention to detail, and sloppiness.

Further, these students often have „too many construction sites“ open to conscientiously complete even one of them. Thus, they may start a new activity before completing the current one. Some of them need to learn to stay focused on a particular task and complete one job before starting the next.

These students do best with unstructured tasks and in a loosely organized environment, or with tasks that have flexible rules.

Six reasons for bad grades

Reason 5

Belligerence

(high scores on the RSMP® scale for vengeance)

Argumentative behavior is a major cause of a person falling short of their potential throughout the lifespan. These people easily make enemies out of potential friends. Belligerent school children get into argumentative situations on the playground, in the school cafeteria, in school hallways, school restrooms, or even in the classroom.

These students probably do best in competitive or competitive situations. If a school child is inappropriately combative, parents and psychologists should make clear to him or her the difference between socially appropriate competition and inappropriate aggression or confrontation.

Some (not all) students with high RSMP scores for revenge exhibit an aggression problem.

Reason 6

Lack of sense of responsibility

(low scores on the RSMP® scale for honor).

Six reasons for bad grades

Students with character problems fall short of their potential because they resort to cheating on assignments, shy away from their duties and do not do their homework, for example, or teachers belittle them because of their character flaws. These students may need teachers who set strict ethical boundaries. They need to learn that their teachers and parents will not let them get away with anything and that people who deceive will most likely be caught and punished. Usually they will follow the rules if it is to their advantage to do so, but left to their own devices, they will try to cheat.

THE 16 BASIC DESIRES

My colleagues and I have spent years providing scientific evidence that these 16 deeply rooted life motives are fundamental to all of us, and we have published various articles and three books illustrating our findings. To date, we have tested more than 60,000 people from a wide range of social backgrounds and on four continents (North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia).

The scientific studies on the reliability and validity of our claims have been peerreviewed by experts and published in prestigious journals, such as those of the American Psychological Association. Now, what makes the list of 16 life motives so unique is its scientific standing.

We did not set out to create a list of life motives and then prove their validity after the fact. Instead, we found 16 life motives through empirical research - based on countless responses from people in various countries and continents who gave us insight into their personal motives. Each of the 16 life motives is based on goals, aspirations, and intentions. Honor, for example, is the need for character of integrity; independence is the need for self-reliance; tranquility is the need for security; revenge is the need to win and confront others.

I do not agree with McDougall‘s view that emotions are the essence of universal goals. Curiosity, for example, can be temporarily satisfied by learning and knowledge, not by the emotionally felt pleasure of discovery. The need for Eros can be temporarily satisfied by sexuality, not by the feeling of ecstasy.

Why do goals and not emotions determine life motives? I believe goals are a kind of precursor to future behavior, while emotions are the consequences of present or past behavior. Goals tell us what the individual wants and consequently have implications for what that person is likely to do in the future. If I know that a newlywed does not want children, I can predict that he or she would be best suited to a like-minded partner, or he/she would frequently argue with the partner who wants children. If I know that an individual is happily married and childless, I cannot predict whether or not he or she will have children in a year or two. People who plan to have children may be happy without children in the present, and people who plan to remain childless may be equally happy without children in the here and now.

The 16 life motives may have a genetic origin. They are based on valid calculations using samples from four different continents (North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia) and various cultures. Furthermore, a number of these needs can also be observed in animals. Animals raise their young (indicates a need for family), defend themselves (indicates a need for revenge), have sex (means a need for Eros), show fear (indicates a need for quiet), display dominance (indicates a need for power), eat (indicates a need for food), and exercise (indicates a need for physical activity). Culture and upbringing do not influence the strength of the expression of needs; certain needs may be encouraged in some cultures or families but suppressed in others. Two teachers, for example, may encourage their children to begin reading at a very early age, while two athletes are probably more likely to encourage early participation in athletic activities.

Parents who live in a very small apartment may not be as likely to encourage wild running around. Such differences in upbringing, especially in early childhood, may promote or weaken the natural needs with which a child is born. Culture and upbringing are likely to have a major influence on the ways in which people act out their motives in life. People of all backgrounds are motivated by hunger, power, curiosity, etc., but they differ greatly in what they eat, how they achieve ambitious goals, and how they learn.

Because our life motives have a genetic origin, we tend to have the same needs throughout our lives. People rarely change in terms of what they fundamentally want and, therefore, intrinsically motivate them. Curious children tend to become curious adolescents, who, in turn, tend to develop into curious adults. People with strong appetites tend to struggle with their weight throughout their lives. People who like to be organized and plan things as adolescents will most likely still like to organize and plan as adults. I suspect that the underlying genes that influence these needs do not change as we grow older.

Because our life motives have a genetic origin, we tend to have the same basic needs throughout our lives.

Although life motives usually change little as we grow into adulthood, people sometimes change the way they act them out. For example, a romantic person might change partners, a curious person might change areas of interest, or an athlete might change his/her preferred sport. Occasionally, someone reports changing their priorities after finding God. Nothing in my theory of the 16 motives in life casts doubt on such statements. I acknowledge the possibility that conversion to God, or even the experience of losing a loved one, can change a person‘s priorities.

The 16 life motives motivate our behavior, thoughts, values, and desires.

The 16 life motives motivate our behavior, thoughts, values, and desires. A person whose life motive of family is strong is likely to think about family members while traveling or on the road. And at work, she may look at family photos now and then and already have the next family vacation in mind in her daydreams.

People who are strongly driven by the life motive of power do more than just fulfill their career ambitions. They also think about work on their weekends and evenings, and they indulge in daydreams of becoming directors, great musicians, or famous artists. Idealistic goals cause some people to give generously to their favorite charities, to dream of a better society, and to campaign for political candidates they hope will make more of a difference than just passing laws.

Life motives can only ever be satisfied temporarily, never permanently. They motivate us from time to time, over and over again again and again throughout our lives..

Perhaps the most significant characteristic of a life motive is its recurring nature. Motives can only be satisfied temporarily, never permanently. We are hungry, so we eat, and then we get hungry again. Everyone has the need to eat, not just for a day or two, or for a month or two, not even merely for a year or two. Food is a recurring need for every human being, from the cradle to the grave.

Similarly, our life motives drive us - from time to time, over and over again, throughout our lives. We never satisfy any of them permanently. Each of them reappears in our lives regularly, if not daily, over and over again. The life motive of curiosity, for example, has a recurring nature: we become curious about something; we study

The 16 basic desires

and learn; and after a while we become curious about something else. The life motive Relationships also has a recurrent nature: we are bored, we get in touch with others for a while; then we want to be alone for a while; we feel bored again and seek companionship again.

In summary, we have presented you with the first scientifically derived systematics of universal motives and psychological needs. Our taxonomy of 16 life motives has about 50 percent overlap with the lists of needs presented by McDougall, Murray, and others. We believe that the 16 life motives are genetic in origin and recurrent in nature.

The five characteristics of the 16 life motives

Examining the 16 life motives leads me to the following conclusions:

Universal goals

Jedes einzelne Lebensmotiv auszuleben ist ein allgemein gültiges Ziel für jeden Menschen und tief verwurzelt in der menschlichen Natur. Die 16 allgemein gültigen Ziele sind folgende:

Avoidance of failure and rejection

Realization

Food intake

Reproduction

Strength of character

Justice

Freedom

Structure

Muscle training

Influence on others

Sexuality

Gathering

Togetherness

Respect

Security

Revenge

Life Motives

A life motive can only be satisfied temporarily. Already hours or at the latest days after a life motive has been temporarily satisfied, it becomes virulent again and influences our behavior anew. After we have eaten, for example, it is only a matter of hours before we get hungry again. When we have satisfied our curiosity about one subject, sooner or later we become curious about another. Since life motives can only be satisfied temporarily, they motivate us from our youth into adulthood. People show significant stability in their motivation from

their youth into adulthood. (cf. Reiss & Havercamp, 2005).

Intrinsic motivation

People pursue their life motives solely because they want to. Thus, the life motive order motivates us to organize our lives because we intrinsically value structure, while the life motive recognition motivates us to avoid criticism because we intrinsically value recognition.

Intrinsic motivation means to act in accordance with our own basic values. to handle.

Core values

Individuals differ significantly in the value they place on each of the 16 life motives. For example, athletes generally place a significantly higher value on physical activity than the average person. Intellectuals, on the other hand, place a significantly higher value on intellect than the average person.Life motives motivate everyone to express their core values. Once again, life motives (intrinsic motives) can be broken down to two components: What is aspired to (the universal goal) and how much it is aspired to (the individual‘s value determination with respect to the universal goal). We do not strive for a limitless experience with each of the universal goals. Instead, we seek to give expression to our value determinations.

We are a species that by nature strives, to assert our core values.

Intrinsic motives and core values are so closely linked that we can infer core values from intrinsic motives; and we can infer intrinsic motives from core values. Knowing that I get intrinsic from having a good family life, we can infer that I think parenthood and children are important. If one knows that Peterson is intrinsically motivated by honor, one can infer that Peterson highly values character of integrity. Even Aristotle (1953/330 BCE) knew of the close connection between values and motives. His book on motivation was entitled „The Nicomachean Ethics.“ Moreover, over a long period of time philosophical studies on motivation were classified as ethical philosophy.

Intrinsic motives and basic values are closely interconnected connected: We can infer basic values from intrinsic motives; we can infer intrinsic motives from basic values.

Psychological significance

A motive must have psychological significance to be considered a life motive. This requirement allows us to ignore those universal motives that have no relevance in terms of personality and relationships. Although the human body is motivated to maintain a certain body temperature, I excluded homeostasis from my taxonomy of life motives because it has nothing to do with psychology. I point out again that excluding the insignificant is a common scientific practice, like excluding Pluto from the list of planets.

We can use our knowledge regarding a person‘s needs to predict

The 16 basic desires

that person‘s behavior in their natural environment without needing to know what caused those needs or where they came from.

In conclusion, a life motive is the unit that allows us to determine what motivates people. By definition, a life motive is the subjective component of a universal motive. The term is roughly equivalent to what others call a „human need“ or „intrinsic motive.“ Each life motive has the five characteristics listed in this chapter. To repeat, the origin of life motives is unknown. I assume life motives have a genetic component, although early childhood experiences and probably other experiences may influence them.

We should not let the seemingly endless disposition-environment debate keep us from examining life motives. Rather, we can use knowledge of life motives to predict behavior in its natural setting, even without needing to know what causes those needs or where they come from.

CEO-CODE PAPER: MOTIVATION IN SHOOLS