Student Motivation & Engagement

Education news, analysis, and opinion about efforts to get students involved and active in learning and classroom activities
How do I help students recover from failure?
Student Well-Being & Movement Opinion How to Cultivate Confidence in Students
Help students calibrate their learning to be just-hard-enough—because experiencing a series of small wins can be transformative.
Angela Duckworth, January 20, 2021
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3 min read
Images shows a stylized artistic landscape with soothing colors.
Getty
Student Well-Being & Movement Opinion How to Help Students Know When It’s Time to Quit—and When It’s Not
Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t, you’re right. Here’s how to consider the decision to persist or stop.
Angela Duckworth, January 13, 2021
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3 min read
Image shows a bright background of yellows and oranges with a sad and concerned emoji wearing a medical mask over its mouth.
Getty
Special Report Keeping Students and Teachers Motivated & Engaged
Ideas to address sagging morale and disengagement in this challenging school year.
January 6, 2021
Kahlil Kuykendall, program manager with Crittenton Services of Greater Washington, stands for a portrait at the Anacostia Community Museum, in Washington D.C., on Dec. 8, 2020.
Kahlil Kuykendall has worked through Crittenton Services of Greater Washington this year to help keep low-income students academically focused.
Graeme Sloan for Education Week
Student Achievement Inside the Effort to Find and Help Disengaged Youth
When in-person learning abruptly ended last spring, schools and community groups sprang into action.
Christina A. Samuels, January 6, 2021
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7 min read
Image shows two boys playing online games.
E+/Getty
Classroom Technology From Our Research Center Digital Games: Powerful Motivation Tool or Not So Much?
Students are far less likely than teachers to say digital games make learning more interesting.
Mark Lieberman, January 6, 2021
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8 min read
Mood Emojis shown in the form of a chart with data graphs ghosted behind them.
Gina Tomko/Education Week + Getty<br/>
Student Well-Being & Movement Infographic Data Snapshot: What Teacher and Student Morale Looks Like Right Now
See how the pandemic is impacting the morale and motivation of teachers and students in this exclusive EdWeek Research Center survey.
EdWeek Research Center, January 6, 2021
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1 min read
Image shows a bright background of yellows and oranges with a sad and concerned emoji wearing a medical mask over its mouth.
Getty
Teaching & Learning Editor's Note: Battling Low Morale and Lagging Motivation
Teachers and students are struggling with low levels of morale and motivation as millions of physical classrooms stay shuttered.
Lesli A. Maxwell, January 6, 2021
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2 min read
Student Achievement Quiz Quiz Yourself: How Much Do You Know About Student Engagement and Motivation?
Quiz Yourself: How do incentives impact student engagement and motivation?
January 4, 2021
Image of child being vaccinated
Getty
School & District Management From Our Research Center Vaccine Requirements, Failing Grades, Teacher Evaluations: Our Latest Survey Results
Fifty-seven percent of teachers, principals, and district leaders oppose vaccine requirements as a condition of employment or enrollment.

Holly Kurtz, December 22, 2020
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7 min read
Image shows a speech bubble divided into 4 overlapping, connecting parts.
DigitalVision Vectors/Getty and Laura Baker/Education Week
Student Well-Being & Movement Opinion Here Are 3 Top SEL Strategies That Can Help Improve Student Engagement Right Now
SEL has always been important, but it is now more important than ever. Here are three ways to help engage students right now.
Alex Kajitani, Tom Hierck, John Hannigan & Jessica Djabrayan Hannigan , December 21, 2020
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6 min read
Image shows a speech bubble divided into 4 overlapping, connecting parts.
DigitalVision Vectors/Getty and Laura Baker/Education Week
Teaching Opinion Why Asking the Teacher Isn’t Always the Best Course of Action
During COVID-19, our conversations focus on the learning loss of students. We should be asking why the adults always control the learning.
Peter DeWitt, December 16, 2020
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5 min read
Image shows artistic display of a dialogue box surrounded by math, academic, and coronavirus symbols.
Vanessa Solis/Education Week and Getty
Mathematics Teacher Tips: Keeping Kids Engaged During Online Math Class
Math teachers share advice for making remote instruction work.
Madeline Will, December 2, 2020
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1 min read
Student Well-Being & Movement Opinion Harnessing the IKEA Effect for Student Motivation
Laziness is universal, but so is the upside to effort. Asking more from students, research shows, makes them care more about their work.
Angela Duckworth, November 17, 2020
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3 min read
Young people celebrate the presidential election results in Atlanta. Early data on the 2020 turnout show a spike in youth voting, with Georgia, which faces a pair of senatorial runoffs, an epicenter of that trend.
Young people celebrate the presidential election results in Atlanta. Early data on the 2020 turnout show a spike in youth voting, with Georgia, which faces a pair of senatorial runoffs, an epicenter of that trend.
Brynn Anderson/AP
School Climate & Safety As Election 2020 Grinds On, Young Voters Stay Hooked
In states like Georgia, the push to empower the youth vote comes to fruition at a time when “every vote counts” is more than just a slogan.
Evie Blad, November 13, 2020
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6 min read
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