Barragan , Corral 1

Aaron Barragan, Yatzua Stephania Corral

Professor Juan García Renteria

Rhetoric and Composition I

30 April 2019

High School Students Disengagement towards School

The techniques to measure the academic success of students

have rapidly increased in recent years. These methods, which consist mainly of

testing, fail to measure motivation, one of the most significant factors for a

student´s outstanding educational development. An average of 40% of high school

students in America are disengaged from school (Crotty, 2013.) This decreased for

interest is one major concern in the country, since it affects the number of high

school graduates proportionally. For this reason, by analyzing the causes, impact,

and possible solutions to amotivation, it is expected for teachers and high school

systems in general to combat this problem.

Several environmental factors prompt the lack of motivation of

high school students towards school. First able, students may present “disbelief in

his/her ability to successfully complete a task” (Ford, 103) which can lead them to

doubt about their academic capabilities. This idea may encourage them to think

that the impediment to doing good in school is a lack of talent and/or intelligence,

and therefore there is no point for them on trying to do better since the attributes

previously mentioned “cannot” be learned or taught. Another reason for

amotivation is the student´s disconnection with the activity. As Ford points out “If
 Barragan , Corral 2

there is no inner-relatedness or relevancy to the [class] the student will not

incorporate their behavior as an expression of him/herself.” (Ford, 105) In other

words, the student does not understand the real purpose of school since he/ she

feels that this is not going to have any impact on his/her life. When a student

catalogs school classes, homework’s, or assignments as useless, he/she

immediately loses interest in them. Leading, in most cases to “inevitable invest

little or no vigor in their efforts.” (Ford, 103) This lack of connection between school

and students can also be reflected in the fact that the students' academical

achievements in high school are more likely not going to be taken into account in

the labor world. According to the U.S Department of Labor around 34.3% of high

school students work while being in school (Morisi), which demonstrates a

relatively high number of teens whose priorities is to find a job. Even though high

school classes may increase the skill of a student, the requirements taken into

consideration for a job are usually not going to be based on the progress made in

school. Moreover, the reason for this is the following:

Tests are available for measuring competency in reading, writing,

mathematics, science and problem solving, but court decisions, e.g. Griggs
vs. Duke Power Company (1971), and pressure from Equal Employment
Opportunity Commissions resulted in a drastic reduction in their use after
1971. A 1987 survey of a stratified random sample of small and medium
sized employers who were members of the National Federation of
Independent Business found that aptitude test scores had been obtained in
only 3.15 percent of the hiring decisions studied. (Bishop, 6)

Law prevents the selection of a particular job position based on student´s grades.

Also, only in 13.2 percent of employment cases, transcripts are taken into

consideration before hiring someone with less than 12 years of schooling. (Bishop,
 Barragan , Corral 3

6) This discourages the percentage of students who work from doing well in school

since their efforts in class are not going to make a difference in a future workplace.

Amotivation is also caused through “peer norms” which usually stipulate that

participating in class and doing the tasks required is the same as being the

“teachers’ pet.” In an attempt to avoid this derogatory nickname, students

alternately perform poorly in school. Some of the students that shame others for

their academic development is because of the “chance of receiving recognition for

an academic achievement… [is] so slim they have given up trying... [and] their

reaction is often to denigrate the students who take learning seriously.” (Bishop, 9)

Since they know the opportunity to be rewarded for their academic success is so

low, they prefer to put a value on other aspects of their lives where their chances of

being successful are higher, like “athletics [or] dating.” (Bishop, 10) However, the

factors of poor academic development not only rely on the students but in their

parents too. Parents that believe that what counts in the labor world is the diploma

only, also influence their kids’ performance in school. (Bishop, 10) By encouraging

a certificate over knowledge, students go to school with the mentality that their

main aim is graduating and not learning. All of the factors previously mentioned

were corroborated in an interview realized in Bel Air High School, in which thirty

students were asked about the reasons that demotivate them from doing well in

school. The vast majority (36.6%) answered that they did not find school useful at

all, the next majority (30%) argued that they prioritize other aspects of their lives,

like sports and friends before school. 16.6% confirmed that they did not find it

necessary to do good in school as long as they could obtain a high school degree

to get a decent job. Finally, 10% believed that they were not motivated to exceed at
 Barragan , Corral 4

school because they lacked the abilities to do it. 6.6% of students preferred not to

answer. In the end, amotivation is caused by diverse factors, but pointing out the

most relevant ones is vital to find a way to combat this phenomenon.

The effects of amotivation are numerous. However, the most evident one is

reflected in the relatively high number of high schools’ dropouts. Approximately

“over 1.2 million students” withdraw from their secondary education in the United

States. Meaning that around 25% of first-year students fail to graduate high school

every year in the U.S. (Miller) However, not all students that graduated from

secondary school are going to enroll in a university or community college. In fact,

of the 3.2 million students graduating from high school, only about 2.2 million will

continue their higher education. (Bureau of Labor Statistics) Which means that

30.9% of people with a high school degree will not continue their studies. Even

though the reasons for postponing or resigning from entering a university may be

numerous, the fact that a high “40% of high school students [are] chronically

disengaged from school” (Marshall) gives us a clue that lack of motivation is

probably one of the most important causes. A high school student who is detached

from school is more unlikely to enroll in college than someone who is continuously

active in his/her secondary studies. Even if the rate of students enrolling into

college increased, the percentage of those students graduating from a four-year

college on time is less than 40%. (Selingo) In other words, the low number of

graduates (roughly 60%) shows that graduating from college is challenging, if not

the percentage would be higher. This reasoning implies that if college is

demanding as it is, for those who have a particular aversion towards school and
 Barragan , Corral 5

have trouble finding motivators to impulse them to get a bachelor’s degree are at

more risk of dropping out of college. Subsequently, those who decide to quit

college before graduating are more exposed to a higher possibility of facing

unemployment by 2.1% than those that possess a bachelor´s degree. (Torpey)

Amotivation in high school can be perceived as a minor problem; however, the

repercussions of this can lead to several problems in the student´s future, including

diminishing his/her labor opportunities, and therefore his/her quality of life.

In the end, there are a few strategies that can be applied to avert the

discouragement of high school students towards school. Some of these preventive

measures involve increasing competition between students and having a more

optimal and direct relationship between teachers and students. In order to achieve

this, it is possible to perform ceremonies with the aim of rewarding academical

achievements in the same way that it is done with athletics activities. (Bishop, 14)

Expecting that this will motivate students to work as diligently academically as in

other aspects of their high school lives. Another resolution involves the fact of

keeping schools active all summer and incorporate extra classes for those students

who are showing difficulties during the semester. These classes should be

promoted to all students, but they should only be obligatory for those who are

falling behind. (Bishop, 14) This strategy is born from the idea that all students can

learn the same amount of knowledge, but each of them takes a different pace to do

it. By having schools open during summer, the students that are having trouble

with school can catch up. The primary purpose of these methods is to encourage

competency and promote learning as a gain in knowledge, instead of performance

 Barragan , Corral 6

(Bishop, 14) For this reason, the article “The Motivation Problem in American High

Schools” propose to replace certificates and diplomas given for attendance for

ones that certify the cumulative knowledge of the student. Granting a bigger priority

to the skills learned, instead of merely complying with the minimum requirement.

Seemingly minor actions as improving the interaction between students and

teachers carry a great magnitude too. (Crotty) Teachers are the first medium to

which students are exposed and in most cases a reflection of the student feelings

towards school. For this reason, better capacitation for teachers is essential in

order for the teacher to be a reason for the student to be encouraged to remain in

school and not a reason to want to get out of it. Several strategies attempt to

preserve the motivation of students for school, but the only way to combat this

problem is to try to implement as many as possible.

Amotivation is one of U.S worst threats. Students who work for a certificate,

instead of working for knowledge are a clear example of a dangerous mentality that

is continuously spreading over the country. Understanding the reasons,

consequences, and solutions to this problem is the only way to combat it and

improve the U.S. educational system for America´s sake.

 Barragan , Corral 7

Works Cited
“11 Facts About High School Dropout Rates.” DoSomething.org,

www.dosomething.org/us/facts/11-facts-about-high-school-dropout-rates.

Bishop, John H. “The Motivation Problem in American High Schools .” CAHRS Working

Paper Series, Aug. 1988, pp. 1–34.,

digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1434&context=cahrswp.

“College Enrollment and Work Activity of Recent High School and College Graduates

Summary.” U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 26 Apr. 2019,

www.bls.gov/news.release/hsgec.nr0.htm.

Crotty, James Marshall. “Motivation Matters: 40% Of High School Students Chronically

Disengaged From School.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 13 Mar. 2013,

www.forbes.com/sites/jamesmarshallcrotty/2013/03/13/motivation-matters-40-of-high-

school-students-chronically-disengaged-from-school/#20f87a0c6594.

Ford, Valjeaner B., and Douglas E. Roby. “Why Do High School Students Lack Motivation in

the Classroom?” pp. 101–113., libres.uncg.edu/ir/uncp/f/Why Do High School Students

Lack Motivation in the Classroom.pdf.

Morisi, Teri. “Teen Trends.” Teens Trends, 9 Mar. 2017, blog.dol.gov/2017/03/09/teens-

trends.

Selingo, Jeffrey J. “Why Do so Many Students Drop out of College? And What Can Be Done

about It?” The Washington Post, WP Company, 8 June 2018,

www.washingtonpost.com/news/grade-point/wp/2018/06/08/why-do-so-many-students-
 Barragan , Corral 8

drop-out-of-college-and-what-can-be-done-about-

it/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.4cf61d56421d.