How+to+motivate+students+to+be+successful+in+school


 * Research Question: How can we help students become more successful in school?**
 * Author: Caterina Bessacini**

__**ARTICLE ONE:**__ Motivating students helps students to perform better in school and to be more successful. This article talks about how it is important to encourage students and to keep students engaged throughout school in order to help them succeed. "Motivation has been defined as physiological processes involved in the direction, vigor, and persistence of behavior" (Moos 231). Academic motivation can help students be more determined to complete their goals and succeed. Adventure Learning is found to be helpful in many ways. Adventure learning is a form of education that gives students the chance to work with real world issues through more realistic learning experiences.

I agree with this article. Motivation is key to student success. The more that students are motivated, the greater they will want to work, and in response they will show better results. Also, Adventure Learning sounds interesting and like it can be beneficial to students. If this was used in more schools, students might benefit more and learn a lot from it.

Moos, D. C., & Honkomp, B. (2011). Adventure Learning: Motivating Students in a Minnesota Middle School. // Journal Of Research On Technology In Education //, // 43 //(3), 231-252.

Participating in sports can help students perform better academically. This article researched many different students that had their academic performance improve after they joined a sports team. There are "six different ways that sports served to promote student success: structuring schedules, creating incentives, building confidence, developing positive adult and peer role models, and getting students to develop future aspirations" (DeMeulenaere 130). Also, students on sports teams have to meet academic eligibility. These students need to meet a grade requirement in order to stay on the team. This motivates them to do well so they can continue to play for their team.
 * __ARTICLE TWO:__**

I believe that sports encourages kids not only to succeed as athletes, but also to succeed as students. Participating in sports is extremely important to many students and they would not want to risk getting kicked off their team, so therefor they do what they have to do to meet the grade requirement. I think sports can be extremely beneficial to students' academic performance because it can motivate them to learn and do well.

DeMeulenaere, E. (2010). PLAYING THE GAME: SPORTS AS A FORCE FOR PROMOTING IMPROVED ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE FOR URBAN YOUTH. // Journal Of Cultural Diversity //, // 17 //(4), 127-135.

A student's relationship at school and at home affects the student's academic performance and behavior. Having support from teachers, parents, and peers can help a student's academic performance improve tremendously. Supportive teachers are more interested in helping their students succeed and have a better chance of students feeling comfortable going to them if they have questions or need help. The more approachable they come off, the more students will seek help from them. Peers also help academic performance in many ways. A lot of students will form study groups, or even become competitive about who can get a better grade. Some students complete homework together after school and make it fun. Support from parents is additionally vital. Parents encourage their children to complete their homework and get good grades. Some parents also reward and punish their students based on grade reports.
 * __ARTICLE THREE:__**

I believe that teachers, parents, and students play a huge role in how a student performs at school. The more support a student has, the easier it will be for them to succeed. If they have people encouraging and motivating them to do well, they will be more likely to succeed. If students see that academic performance is important to those they love and care about, then they might take that on as a value as well.

Woolley, M. E., Kol, K. L., & Bowen, G. L. (2009). The Social Context of School Success for Latino Middle School Students: Direct and Indirect Influences of Teachers, Family, and Friends. // Journal Of Early Adolescence //, // 29 //(1), 43-70. doi:10.1177/0272431608324478

Parents and teachers will sometimes reward students for their good grades and academic performance. This article researched the amount of students who received awards and how it impacted them. From the students researched, 73% received awards in elementary school, 72% in middle school, and 74% in high school from their parents. It was found that students who received rewards, money, or privileges were more motivated to do well in school. As the rewards steadily decreased as the students got older, they learned to motivate themselves opposed to having outside motivation.
 * __ARTICLE FOUR:__**

The amount of students who received rewards somewhat surprised me because it was very high. But, I think that it's good that the percentages were high because it can help students in the long run learn to do well and learn self-motivation in time. It is important that students do learn self-motivation later on though because there will not always be someone there to reward them for their hard work.

Davis, K. D., Winsler, A., & Middleton, M. (2006). Students' Perceptions of Rewards for Academic Performance by Parents and Teachers: Relations With Achievement and Motivation in College.// Journal Of Genetic Psychology //, // 167 //(2), 211-220.

Overall Reaction to Your Research
The more successful that students are, the more successful schools are. In order for schools to be great, they need great students. There are many aspects of a school that help that school become great or greater. Such things are as follows: the teachers, the parents, the students, funding, diversity, and proficiency. My research focused on students and how to make them great and become more proficient. I found that motivation is key. I learned that there are many different aspects that contribute to a students' academic performance. I agree with many of the articles I read and the research that I found.

Relevance in Rhode Island Schools
This research relates to schools in Rhode Island because students need the same things here in order to achieve high academic performance as other schools in America. Students here need support from parents, teachers, and peers. It is important that they are achieving proficiency and support, funding, and diversity is an aspect that can help with this. Students in Rhode Island who are misbehaving, skipping school, not doing their work, and doing poorly because of it may need more motivation in order to succeed.