The research of the Mindset Scholars
Network on the interaction of a task rel-
evance and a student’s level of motivation
suggests motivation levels aren’t important
when performing fun, simple or rewarding
tasks. Student motivation and thus engage-
ment becomes visible when tasks are difficult
or mundane. Next, we see the vastly differ-
ent pathways a student’s sense of relevance
can have on their engagement. Finally, it is
important we understand this is a recipro-
cal process where the process perpetuates
itself. Not understanding the relevance of
a task can lead to lowered engagement and
performance, which further diminishes mo-
tivation and confirms a student’s belief in the
lack of relevance.
Researchers have shown that we can help
students re-engage with school by helping
them understand how a particularly chal-
lenging task or subject connects to their
values and identity. Hulleman and Har-
ackiewicz (2012) explored the impact of a
writing intervention, asking students in a
high school science class to write how the
material connects to their lives. The authors
26
Leadership
found that this brief intervention demon-
strated “…that encouraging students to
make connections between science course
material and their lives promoted both in-
terest and performance for students with
low success expectancies. The effect on per-
formance was particularly striking, because
students with low-success expectancies im-
proved nearly two-thirds of a letter grade.”
Is there something I can do about it?
Much of our job as educators is to get kids
to do hard things and things they are not yet
good at. These are necessary actions in the
learning process. We should not expect stu-
dents to work hard, recover from mistakes
and take chances if they do not believe their
actions will have any direct inf luence on
their learning. Why would students persist,
study, ask questions and not give up if they
believe their efforts have no bearing on the
outcome?
This is why directly teaching students
the control they have over their learning
and achievement is an important aspect of
being an exceptional teacher. In “Mindset,”
Dweck (2006) explains that students who
attribute outcomes to factors under their
control, particularly effort, are more:
• Persistent,
• Receptive to instruction,
• Willing to learn from others,
• Honest about their performance,
• Willing to take on challenges,
• Willing to take risks,
• Accurate in their estimations of their
abilities,
• Likely to view failure as temporary,
• Likely to take action when depressed,
• Resilient after failure.
How many educators would like to see
more of those traits in their students? For-
tunately, there is a wealth of research and
literature about how we can teach students
a growth mindset. This is typically done
by providing short, simple lessons teaching
students about neuroplasticity and how the
brain grows and changes with experience.
Is this a threat or an opportunity?
As discussed previously, when we don’t feel
safe, our body and mind are focused on self
preserveration. In these situations, we focus
on not making mistakes and we worry about
what others are saying and thinking about us.
In contrast, when someone interprets a chal-
lenging situation as a chance to take the next
step toward their dream, their body and mind
focus on the task at hand, so that mental and
physical resources are working in unison to
take advantage of the opportunity.
When a teacher passes out a test, by defi-
nition it should be challenging and the body
and mind will produce hormones and chemi-
cals to respond to this challenge. If students
see the test as a threat, worrying that they are
going to fail and others will laugh at them,
they are likely to focus on not making a mis-
take and underperform. However, if they see
this as the moment they have prepared for,
there may be more of a positive jolt of energy
as the body and mind prepare to take advan-
tage of the opportunity. The test is neutral;
how our students perceive the test has impor-
tant implications on their performance.
Like many of the research interven-
tions highlighted in this article, there are a
number of examples of how we can shift a
student’s focus from threat to opportunity;