Date of Award
1-2014
Degree Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Education in Secondary Education - English (Ed.D)
Department
Secondary English Education
First Advisor
Dr. Dawn Kirby
Second Advisor
Dr. Angela Blaver
Third Advisor
Dr. Darren Crovitz
Abstract
High levels of motivation contribute to significant learning for high school English students in rural school settings. The current qualitative study examined the attitudes surrounding the motivation of six rural high school students and their teachers. These students had been identified as reluctant learners and placed in a remedial writing class during their ninth grade year. The students, two 12th graders and four 10th graders, discussed their perceptions of the motivational practices used by their English teachers and other teachers, revealing what they did and did not find to be personally motivational in the classroom. This study also investigated the attitudes and practices of the four teachers who taught these students English, comparing the teachers’ motivational teaching practices with the students’ perceptions. Data were collected through interviews, focus groups, classroom observations, and a student survey. The findings indicated that the teachers’ motivational teaching strategies and attitudes, though reflective of current research on productive methods to motivate learners, had little influence on the success of these students, who produced products below their level with little academic effort. Recommendations stemming from this study include building intrinsic motivation by promoting student autonomy, challenging students to explore their own interests, incorporating engaging interactions with reading and writing, and holding students to a high standard of achievement.