Strategies for Increasing Academic Motivation and Engagement

You may have a client that demonstrates low motivation to engage in academic activities. This is likely because many aspects of school (i.e., reading, writing, math) may be quite challenging for them.

As such, your client may benefit from an extrinsic reward system in order to complete academic tasks. To be effective, rewards need to be powerful, frequent and varied.

Examples include awarding points for completed work, token economies or mystery motivators. Check out this list of free or inexpensive reinforcement ideas for children: 

Strategies for Increasing Academic Motivation

Some additional strategies for increasing academic motivation and engagement include:

• Increase praise, approval and appreciation of your client’s good behaviour and work performance. Positive reinforcement is one of the most powerful methods to change behaviour.
  • Make sure you notice even the little things (e.g., completing sub-tasks of larger tasks) to gain confidence and help your client feel good about themselves. 

• It is important to help your client develop “game plans” when approaching difficult non-preferred activities.
  • They should rely heavily on to-do lists and written schedules in order to break down activities.
  • Along with lists, it will be helpful to provide your client with specific timeframes for completion of each step.
  • If your client misses a step, a written list or schedule is an easy reminder that can prevent arguments. 

• Embedding high-interest topics into tasks and using materials that are interesting to your client may also help increase engagement in more difficult academic tasks.

• Improve accuracy and positively influence your client’s confidence when completing homework and worksheets by intermixing ‘easy‘ problems among the ‘challenging‘ problems.
  • Research shows that students are more motivated to complete difficult tasks when they contain some very easy problems interspersed among the more challenging items.

• Encourage your client’s parents  to help their child develop a self-awareness of his strengths and challenges, and develop strategies when faced with setbacks.
  •  Help your client identify and celebrate his successes, big and small, by creating an accomplishment box: https://www.understood.org/en/friends-feelings/empowering-your-child/celebrating-successes/download-your-childs-accomplishment-box-starter-kit
  • A “strengths chain” is another hands-on activity than can also help your client identify some of his strengths (Understood.org): https://www.understood.org/en/friends-feelings/empowering-your-child/building-on-strengths/download-hands-on-activity-to-identify-your-childs-strengths
  • Self-awareness worksheets (Understood.org): https://www.understood.org/en/friends-feelings/empowering-your-child/self-awareness/download-self-awareness-worksheet-for-kids
  • “Growth mindset” worksheets (Understood.org) https://www.understood.org/en/friends-feelings/empowering-your-child/building-on-strengths/download-growth-mindset-activities-for-kids

Handouts

For more information and targeted interventions on academic motivation, see these handouts:

• Student Engagement and Motivation at Home Handout
• Student Engagement and Motivation at School Handout
• School Refusal Handout