Running head: MOTIVATION FOR EDUCATION 1

Motivation for Education

Nolan C. Williams

University of North Carolina at Charlotte

MOTIVATION FOR EDUCATION 2

Abstract

Motivation is a key factor for every single human being to accomplish virtually any task. Some

things are a lot easier to do than others. My struggle with motivation concerns my college

education. I have turned to the aid of outside help on my quest for motivation to continue

through college. I continue to doubt the importance of college, other than the degree earned for

employers to marvel at. I discuss three literary works that impacted me heavily. The first article

led me to realizing my full potential. The second article had me look in a metaphorical mirror,

observing my academic flaws. The final article exposed me to the importance of self-

determination, accomplishing tasks for nobody other than yourself. Each piece brings a different

approach to motivation, impacting me in a unique way. I look to discover which article will

impact me the most, and fight for its impact on my motivation.

Keywords: College, Motivation, Future, Determination, Perseverance, Self-determination

MOTIVATION FOR EDUCATION 3

Motivation for Education

Since the beginning of time, the actions of human beings have been driven by motivation.

Almost everything we do as humans is done for a reason. Why do we eat? To stay alive and

refuel our bodies. Why do we brush our teeth? To prevent bacteria and ensure clean hygiene.

But there are some tasks, requirements, and aspects of life that lead to motivational

struggles for people all over the world. It can be hard to see the purpose or benefit received from

completing a certain task, especially one that brings you discomforts like stress, anxiety, and

unhappiness.

For me and countless others, that motivational struggle is with earning a college degree.

A college education is a very desired and frankly as close to a requirement in this day and age as

it gets. In order to solidify an occupation that provides a steady income for yourself and a

potential family, a college degree is nearly essential.

Employers nowadays won’t give resumes a second look unless some sort of college

education completed is shown. To some, this fact is enough motivation to persevere through each

course till they reach the finish line. But for others, myself included, different factors such as the

requirement to take courses that do not relate to your field of study, lead to difficulty pressing on.

With the aforementioned significance of earning a college degree, the unmotivated are

desperately looking for a solution to continue their efforts. With the help of professionals, I look

to explore the knowledge that will help me find my own motivation. My goal is to determine

which article can directly impact my college experience of a select few I’ve deemed most

valuable. I’m searching for the most beneficial information for my college career’s future.
MOTIVATION FOR EDUCATION 4

My hunt first led me to the work of Paul R. Pintrich and Akane Zucho. In their article,

Student Motivation and Self-Regulated Learning in the College Classroom they, address

motivational struggles of college students. Pintrich and Zusho go on to describe the academic

study habits of two college students with different outlooks on their coursework.

Mike was a successful high school student who has had a hard time transitioning to

college. He studies the same way for all of his courses, no matter if they’re a lecture,

discussion, or group work class. He looks to achieve good grades, and is not so much

concerned with digesting the course material. He excels in the courses he finds interesting, but

struggles to study for and achieve success in the ones he sees as boring.

Then there is Lindsay, who takes a different approach to her coursework. She looks to

understand the material being taught, as she sees it as being useful for her career as well as future

courses. She studies differently for each course, paraphrasing material, summarizing key

concepts, and creating outlines for tests. Pintrich and Zusho then explain how Lindsay will be a

much more success college student and employee after she finishes school.

This was very useful to me, because Mike resembles me very closely. I too was a

successful high school student, but am going through the same struggles with motivation and

studying as Mike is. Looking how Lindsay prepares, how driven she is, and how she perceives

her courses material is quite motivating. Being shown what it takes to be successful in college

and my future career by a student in the same position as me is very inspiring.

I then read the third chapter of Myron H. Dembo’s book Motivation and Learning

Strategies for College Success. This chapter titled “Understanding Motivation,” addresses

different types of student, similar to Pintrich and Zusho, but adding how to evaluate your own

motivation. Dembo talks about five different types of students: defensive, safe, hopeless,
MOTIVATION FOR EDUCATION 5

satisfied, and anxious. After taking a look at each student, I saw a bit of myself within all of

them. The defensive student avoids asking for help to avoid appearing weak. The safe student

focuses on obtaining high grades rather than learning the material, much like Mike from the

previous book.

The hopeless student has very low confidence towards his ability to be successful or

obtain help. The satisfied student is content with average grades when they have the ability to

achieve better with more effort. And the anxious student is constantly worrying about big

assignments, even forgetting the material they studied due to the stress.

All of the characteristics I listed are what I see in myself from each of the respected

students. Dembo encourages his audience to take a look at themselves, and to honestly evaluate

their tendencies as a student. Identifying the problems with my academic performance is a good

first step to finding the solution to my struggles. This chapter has me thinking if motivation even

is my problem. Am I just using motivation as a scapegoat for my lack of effort in select courses?

With all of these thought racing through my mind, I pressed onward.

My search ended after coming across an article written by Edward Deci, Robert

Vallerand, Luc Pelletier, and Richard Ryan. Motivation and Education: The Self-Determination

Perspective, speaks on the differences between external and internal motivation, encouraging

students to become self-determined. Today many students can feel like they are being controlled

to do what society has deemed the “correct” way to be successful or respected. Teachers can

collectively start to all sound the same, no matter the course. I have always considered myself to

fall into this category of people. Growing up I was constantly told about going to college, getting

a stable job, and raising a family. But as I get older I’m confronted with thoughts that suggest

this isn’t what I want to do. The self-determination mentality coupled with an event that occurred
MOTIVATION FOR EDUCATION 6

while I was working on this paper, have brought new meaning to not only my college education,

but life as a whole.

I was inspired after reading about the power of internal motivation. But I still struggled to

muster any kind of personal motivation. I pondered whether or not I even wanted to attend

college, if it was beneficial for me, and if society had molded me into a mindless drown

following social standards. But the following night, my outlook on college, motivation, and life

changed forever.

I returned home this past weekend, and visited a friend at North Carolina State. Thunder

roared and the streets were drenched with rain water, but I didn’t think anything of it. I began

driving back to my parent’s house. As I merged onto the highway I lost control, swerving rapidly

until finally crashing into the guardrail. I hydroplaned and was stuck alone in a totaled car,

stranded on the middle of the highway, in a pitch black thunderstorm. I was unharmed but shell-

shocked, panicking and begging for help. Cars flew by barely missing the obstacle that was the

remains of my Ford Ranger. Help arrived shortly to the average person’s definition, but to me it

felt like an eternity. As the chaos died down, I was driven home and could think about nothing

other than how lucky I was to be alive. Even though what happened was out of my control,

everything went seemingly perfect to ensure my safety. There were no cars directly behind me

after I lost control, I was protected from flipping by the guardrail, and the airbag still worked in a

twenty-year-old car.

As I sat down the next day to continue my work on this assignment, I knew exactly what

to write. It was as if I dreamed it overnight, the internal motivation came rushing in. After almost

seeing my life come to an end, I thought about how everyone would remember me. Did I want to

be remember as the kid who dropped out of college because he was unmotivated, or the kid who
MOTIVATION FOR EDUCATION 7

adapted to adversity and finished what he started. The kid who couldn’t find a reason for

studying his geology textbook, or the kid who aced geology when it meant nothing to him or his

future. The kid who was satisfied with mediocrity, or the kid who would settle for nothing but his

full potential.

Out of all the pieces I read about college motivation, I found the ones above to be the

most impactful on my future. Pintrich and Zusho gave a me a unique perspective on motivation,

by displaying the student I am, Mike, and the student I want to become, Lindsay. Mike is very

similar to me as a student, and Lindsay is everything I believe I can become with the right push.

Dembo had me evaluating who I am in the classroom, displaying different types of students

which all showed an attributes similar to me. I began to take a hard look in the mental-mirror, at

times feeling less motivated after confronting my own flaws. But I ended up gaining a lot of

knowledge after confronting my weaknesses, because to solve that problem you must first locate

it. These literary works were inspiring, informative, and unique, but didn’t come close to

impacting me like Motivation and Education: The Self-Determination Perspective.

After being exposed to the power of self-determination, I have an entirely new mentality

towards college. It’s not about being forced to complete useless assignments and passing

meaningless classes. It’s about showing that you can, proving that when adversity comes your

way, you jump at the chance to prove your perseverance and press on a stronger person that

before. I have reached my goal of obtaining motivation, and now view college as a privilege. I

don’t know when my life will come to an end. It could be today, it could be tomorrow, but

whenever it comes, it will take a hard-working, driven, and motivated man.

MOTIVATION FOR EDUCATION 8

References

Pintrich, P., Zusho, A. (1999) Student Motivation and Self-Regulated Learning in the College

Classroom (pp. 55-88) Retrieved from https://link.springer.com/bookseries/6028

Dembo, M. (2004). Motivation and Learning Strategies for College Success (pp. 51-93)

Retrieved from https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/9780203823149

Deci, E., Pelletier, L., Ryan, R., Vallerand, R., (2011) Motivation and Education: The Self-

Determination Perspective (pp. 10-23) Retrieved from http://tandfonline.com

MOTIVATION FOR EDUCATION 9
MOTIVATION FOR EDUCATION 10
MOTIVATION FOR EDUCATION 11
MOTIVATION FOR EDUCATION 12