By Dr. Mandy Savitz-Romer, Nancy Pforzheimer Aronson Senior Lecturer in Human Development and Education, Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE)
Reading time: Five minutes
The National College Attainment Network (NCAN) is featuring Dr. Savitz-Romer's work in a series titled, "A Developmental Approach to College Access and Success," consisting of webinars, blog posts, and peer exchanges.
“Our mission is to motivate young people to aspire to college”
College and career readiness professionals often say that “motivation” is central to their mission. Driven by good intentions and a realization that some students do not show up in their offices and programs ready to dive into future planning, educators
may believe that some students are more, or less, motivated. Contrary to what many believe, motivation is not a passive state, but an active internal process driven by the meaning that students make about their goals and why they matter.
It is true that as educators, we cannot simply give students motivation. But we can play an important role by helping students to construct the beliefs and behaviors to set and achieve their college-going goals.
Many educators focus on goal setting to foster students’ motivation as part of a broader postsecondary planning process. Indeed, decades of research support the idea that when individuals have a clear idea about why they are doing something, they
are more likely to actively engage in tasks that help reach those goals. However, I have seen this fall short in two ways:
First, when students seek advice from educators, it may appear that they have already articulated the “why” behind their plans. As a result, we fail to probe or clarify what is driving their goals, instead jumping right into the planning process.
This failure sets students up to pursue a pathway without meaning behind it, which often catches up with them when things become difficult.
Second, when educators encourage students to aspire to future possibilities, we often focus on extrinsic reasons behind those goals, such as making money. As a high school counselor, I certainly used charts depicting how much money one could expect
to make based on different credentials to encourage students aspire to college.
I have come to believe that both approaches shortchange students. Fortunately, the science behind motivation gives clear direction about a better approach.
What does the science say about motivation?
Most educators understand that motivation describes the drive behind what we do naturally and where one expends their time and energy. However, the science behind motivation is little more complex. Developmental theory indicates that motivation is not
a passive state, but an active process involving the meaning that people make of their experiences.
Psychologists refer to “adaptive motivation” as a dynamic process that includes the beliefs and goals that drive action. This means that while the motivation to pursue future opportunities can’t be directly imparted to students, educators play
an important role by helping students to construct the beliefs, goals, and behaviors to set and achieve their college-going goals.
Put another way, supporting students’ motivation is less about encouraging them to do something, and more about helping them develop the beliefs and reasons behind their goals. Promoting adaptive motivation is important at multiple points
along the postsecondary readiness pathway. Yet, it is especially important when it appears that students are engaging in future planning tasks without having first articulated the reasons why they are pursuing a particular goal.
Goals: Helping students articulate the WHY behind their future aspirations
Targeting the why behind students’ aspirations means understanding different types of goals. Educational researchers define three primary types of motivation when it comes to goals, most of which will not be new to readers.
Intrinsic motivation is described as performing a task for its inherent interest or enjoyment, such as a student with a passion for community service who seeks out volunteer roles in their community.
Extrinsic motivation refers to when an individual performs a task for the purpose of receiving external awards, such as applying to colleges for prestige.
The lesser-known third type, internalized regulation, occurs when a person undertakes a task that they do not find intrinsically interesting but acknowledge its value – for example, attending after-school tutoring to raise their grades.
Decades of research have shown that when individuals are solely focused on goals for extrinsic reasons, they are less likely to achieve their goals. They participate in tasks with less enjoyment, superficial engagement, and ultimately lose focus
or value in activities associated with the goal. On the contrary, when students are pursuing goals for reasons that have intrinsic value, they are more likely to be successful. Of course, we know that extrinsic motivation does work sometimes,
especially in the short term. Therefore, it is essential to provide a balanced set of reasons for college-going, pairing extrinsic motivations such as income or family pride with intrinsic motivations or internalized regulation that helps students
meaningfully engage in a college planning process. When we tap into what young people are interested in and passionate about, it helps them connect what they care about to different postsecondary pathways.
Supporting students’ motivation
Educators can support students’ motivational dispositions in students by creating space and opportunity to reflect on and articulate the WHY behind their choices. We can start this process early with ninth and tenth grade students so that they
internalize the importance of articulating the reasons behind goals – both small and big. As students progress through high school, all staff can set students up for sustained success by reinforcing the intrinsic value behind all their efforts.
In some cases, our role is to foster internalized regulation by helping students recognize the long-term value of a task.
Most importantly, practitioners can support students’ motivation by helping them develop a balanced set of reasons for pursuing their goals. Extrinsic motivators such as wanting to make others proud are valid reasons for pursuing a particular career or
a college degree. Rather than discourage that, we can encourage students to identify additional reasons. Intrinsic reasons for pursuing college or career pathways may include a sense of achievement, pride, interest, or a desire to meet
people outside their community.
Here are some specific examples of how to do this:
In classroom lessons or workshops, invite students to brainstorm at least 10 different reasons for going to college that are not related to extrinsic motivations. This might include presenting a set of reasons that might not occur to students
(travel, meeting new people, pursuing a particular credential, feeling pride, accomplishment or satisfaction).
In early college and career exploration and education, introduce the importance of intrinsic reasons. This might include a more general conversation/discussion about why things are important, which invites students to learn about their intrinsic interests
Use social media or bulletin boards to communicate the range of reasons why staff pursued their own goals after high school.
Ensure that classroom speakers or alumni panels are asked to speak about the WHY behind their choices.
Before engaging in the transactional or instrumental parts of postsecondary planning, ask students to articulate WHY they have arrived at a particular goal and encourage more than one reason. College counselors and advisors who come across students
who seem “unmotivated” might begin by tackling their beliefs about achieving their goals.
Avoid the use of extrinsic motivators or look for opportunities to balance those with intrinsic motivators
Teach students about internalized regulation. This can be done through mapping exercises, but it can also be conveyed through everyday conversations.
Why young people set college going goals matters. But there’s more to motivation – the beliefs students hold about themselves and about the future matter. This includes self-efficacy beliefs (see my previous blog),
as well as beliefs about whether students can get better and reach their goals.
As I have shared in previous blogs, young people engage in postsecondary readiness work at various stages of development and motivational disposition is no different. Programs and practitioners too often make the mistake of putting too much focus on transactional
aspects of college-going milestones. It’s a well-intended programmatic strategy but one that will be hampered by inefficiency absent students’ believing that these milestones, and their eventual outcome, are right for them and aligned with their vision of who they are and who they want to be. So,
while the strategies shared here are important, they work best in tandem with other developmental principles I’ve written about.
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