Motivation

HomeSchool resourcesMotivation
type here...
School
Thought leadership
Early childhood

Motivation

HomeSchool resourcesMotivation

Topic summary

Motivation refers to the thoughts, beliefs, and assumptions that encompass a student’s drive to apply themselves to learning, and is related to engagement, which describes the observable behaviours that arise from that drive.

Motivation is what makes a person move toward a goal. It is common in education to distinguish between intrinsic motivation (being motivated by the task itself and its perceived value), and extrinsic motivation (being motivated by external factors, such as rewards or the threat of punishment). However, this distinction can be an oversimplification, and it is more helpful to focus on the factors that enhance students’ motivation. It is also often assumed that motivation causes learning, but in fact motivation is just as often the outcome of learning, as students are motivated by their own success in mastering new learning.

There is a great deal of research which demonstrates strong links between levels of motivation in students and their learning outcomes. Motivation is positively correlated with academic achievement, positive behaviour, and factors such as wellbeing, self-esteem, and a sense of purpose. Positive motivation and engagement support academic progress and outcomes, but are also a valuable end in themselves.

There is a considerable body of research evidence on motivation in education. Much of the psychological research is in the form of lab-based quantitative studies. However, there have been a growing number of studies recently that have studied motivation in the school context. Within these studies, there also is a growing evidence base identifying the factors, including practical steps teachers can take, that support students’ motivation in school. Self-determination theory summarises the key factors that research has shown to contribute to student motivation: autonomy (a sense of control and choice), belonging (a sense of connectedness), and competence (a sense of self-efficacy).

One of the most important factors influencing student motivation is the relationship they have with their teachers, and positive teacher-student relationships serve to boost student motivation. It is also important to keep a focus on motivating students in relation to what is to be learned, rather than on trying to engage students’ interest with fun but potentially distracting activities. Teachers can also attend to the factors of self-determination theory by:

  • Providing opportunities for student autonomy and choice
  • Enhancing students’ sense of membership of the class and building strong connections with teachers, peers, and the school
  • Connecting learning with students’ goals, values, and identities
  • Designing learning tasks with an appropriate level of challenge, to develop students’ self-efficacy and sense of competence
  • Supporting students to set appropriate goals, and providing feedback to help them track their progress towards achieving those goals

  • What steps do you take to ensure that all students feel like they belong in your class?
  • How do you develop tasks with the right level of challenge to keep students engaged?
  • How do you communicate the purpose, structure, and value of learning in your classroom?
  • How do you work with students to create learning goals and provide feedback on their progress towards these goals?

Research reviews

The role of motivation in learning

The different types of motivation, their importance for learning, and strategies designed to boost student motivation.

10 strategies that promote motivation

A set of practical strategies and instructional approaches to help motivate your students.

How to support student autonomy and enhance motivation

An approach to enhancing student autonomy in order to boost their motivation and increase their engagement.

Motivation for struggling students

A set of strategies specifically geared towards motivating students who are struggling academically or grappling with new challenges.

Webinars

What switches students on and off?

Professor Andrew Martin presents a guide to the good, the bad, and the ugly of student motivation

Increasing Year 9 and 10 students’ engagement and motivation in STEM

Discover how two teachers used real-world problems drawn from their local community to engage students in collaborative problem-solving

Student motivation and engagement when learning from home

Harry Fletcher-Wood discusses the research on motivation and engagement as well as practical techniques teachers and school leaders can use to increase student engagement.

Social-emotional learning – what schools need to know

Claire Chuter, from John Hopkins University in the USA explores the different mindsets, skills and competencies SEL incorporates, why it is important, and how it can be integrated into teaching and learning.

Infographics

Motivation infographic

What is motivation and how can teachers support student motivation?

Snapshots

The good, the bad, and the ugly of student motivation

Key insights from the highly practical and informative webinar with Professor Andrew Martin on student motivation and engagement

The role of social connection, self-regulation and motivation in student achievement and wellbeing

Key insights from Claire Chuter on how to support and promote students’ social emotional learning.
“Thanks for the opportunity. This was without doubt amongst the best professional development I have done in many years.”
Course participant
Assessment & Intentional Teaching
“I've just started and it's incredible! Best professional learning course I have participated in in a long time. I've just completed Part 2 – so inspiring!”
Course participant
Visual Arts in ECE
"I loved how the course was laid out. It was easy to leave and pick up where I had left off. The site was easy to navigate and I liked the videos that backed up the reading."
Course participant
Assessment & Intentional Teaching
“Continue with your excellent work. I get feedback that student teachers love it too.”
Educator
Martinborough
“I have found all your webinars to be of incredible value to myself and my team. Thank you.”
Centre Leader
Auckland
“You guys are doing a FABULOUS job - keep up the great work. And thank-you for offering free webinars; readings etc - in this current climate it is so hard to find money for extra things and PD is usually the first thing that gets a budget cut. Having access to your webinars means that there is no excuse for my teachers not keep professionally ahead of the game. My team and I certainly appreciate it.”
Early childhood teacher
Wellington
“I LOVE your work. It is super useful as an AST in a large COL, The Education Hub is a springboard for my own self-driven PD and a good resource for the spectrum of needs in our Kahui Ako. Thank you for the epic work you do!”
Advanced Skills Teacher
New Zealand
“Appreciate the diverse range of resources on offer!”
Intermediate school teacher
New Zealand
“The Education Hub is a gem and I recommend it to all schools I work with.”
Education consultant
New Zealand
“The resources and support provided by The Education Hub are greatly appreciated. As an HOD in a small school, in a small department usually made up of beginning teachers, it often falls on my shoulders alone to try and be up to date with ensuring our programmes are founded on sound pedagogical practices in terms of teaching in general and our particular curriculum area ... so I'm like a sponge when it comes to what you provide.”
Head of Department
“The Hub articles have been really useful and provided conversations for staff meetings and provocations for teachers. Thank you - great work and food for thought.”
School leader
Dunedin
“Articles are always well considered and written. I enjoy the content; it’s a superb resources for teachers”
Teacher (primary)
Tauranga
"I love this site!! I love everything you do for us educators, professional leaders and whanau. I loved this site during my studies last year when I upgraded to a Degree. Love it – thank you!"
New entrant teacher
Wellington
“I really value the Education Hub as a non-partisan (and non-reactionary) force for building consensus around what works and what matters in (New Zealand) education. There's nothing like it, and without it we'd be at the mercy of the more vociferous at both ends of the spectrum (progressive vs conservative).”
Deputy Principal
Christchurch
“Keep up the great mahi, I would struggle to have conversations with teachers about current pedagogy without you!”
Professional development provider
Auckland
“Having discovered The Education Hub this year, it has been timely as I navigate the teaching of structured literacy. The content has been so relevant and reliable, I come away wanting more.”
Primary teacher
Nelson
“The information I have gained from the webinars I have watched this year has been so enlightening and it has fueled my desire to further my own knowledge. We are lucky to have such a great resource.”
Preschool teacher
Palmerston North
“Thank you for providing high quality professional learning that is easily accessible.”
High school teacher
Napier
“I really appreciate the quality and range of the webinars you provide. I love that I can access them later if I don't get to watch them at the time.”
Teacher
Bay of Plenty
"Thank you! This course has renewed my passion for writing meaningful learning stories that are backed up with intentional teaching and show progression of learning and development."
Course participant
Assessment & Intentional Teaching
“Thank you to those of you who are working hard to keep this resource relevant and accessible for all of us in the education sector. More specifically, I appreciate the balanced approach taken by your team to specific topic”
School leader
Manukau
"I liked the mix of different aspects that kept things interesting, I enjoyed sharing my new learning with my colleagues and I loved learning new practical aspects of story writing."
Course participant
Assessment & Intentional Teaching
“Thank you so much for the valuable service you provide. We are so lucky to have access to this quality of resources.”
Graduate teacher
Blenheim
"I loved how the course was laid out. It was easy to leave and pick up where I had left off. The site was easy to navigate and I liked the videos that backed up the reading."
Course participant
Assessment & Intentional Teaching

Get unlimited access to all our webinars

Buy a webinar subscription for yourself, your school or centre and enjoy savings of up to 25%

The Education Hub webinars provide high-quality research-based content for teachers. A webinar subscription costs just NZ$60+GST per person (with discounts of up to 25% available for groups) and provides access to all our live webinars for 12 months, plus all the recordings in our archive.
Find out more

12-MONTH WEBINAR SUBSCRIPTION

NZ$ 60 per person +GST
  • All live webinars for 12 months
  • Access to our library of over 100 webinars
  • Personalised certificates
  • Group savings of up to 25%
Buy now

About The Education Hub

The Education Hub’s mission is to bridge the gap between research and practice in education. We want to empower educators to find, use and share research to improve their teaching practice, and then share their innovations. We are building the online and offline infrastructure to support this to improve opportunities and outcomes for students.

New Zealand registered charity number: CC54471

Find out more

We’ll keep you updated

Follow us on social media

Like what we do? Please support us

Donate now to show your appreciation

© The Education Hub 2025 All rights reserved | Site design: KOPARA

Close popup
Message from The Education Hub Choose how you stay up to date

Early childhood education
School

Your details:

Already have an account? Login here

* Required fields

By clicking submit, you are agreeing to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.

We value your privacy and are committed to protecting your personal information. The data you provide on this form will be used to keep you informed about our latest news, updates, and promotional offers. Rest assured, your information will be handled in strict accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Your data will be stored securely, and you have the right to access, correct, or delete your information at any time. For more details, please review our Privacy Policy or Terms of Service.