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Abstract
The purpose of this descriptive qualitative study was to investigate the ways teachers support young adolescents' academic motivation in one large, urban, ethnically diverse middle school. Data included individual interviews of 24 participants (18 students, 5 teachers, and 1 middle school assistant principal). Findings suggested that the following may support student academic motivation: teacher-student relationships, teacher expectations, and instructional practices responsive to students' basic and developmental needs. Further, the potential for educators to meet students' needs and support their motivation may be maximized when such expectations and instructional practices are implemented within the context of high-quality teacher-student relationships. Drawing on the perspectives of both students and educators, these findings extend current research on academic motivation at the middle level by capturing the complexity of the phenomenon. An implication for educators is to understand the ways all three practices may help foster an environment responsive to students' needs and support motivation. Findings inform middle level educational research and practice, especially in urban, ethnically diverse middle schools.
Motivation is recognized as a set of beliefs that drive and sustain behavior and is an important precursor to learning and success in school (Wentzel, 2012; Wentzel & Wigfield, 2009; Wigfield et al., 2006). Teachers play a vital role in supporting young adolescents' academic motivation (Ryan & Patrick, 2001; Schmakel, 2008) and in fostering responsive middle level schools (Eccles & Roeser, 2011; Hughes & Chen, 2011). According to This We Believe: Keys to Educating Young Adolescents, successful middle level schools have teachers who value young adolescents, who engage them in active, purposeful learning, and who challenge them by holding high expectations (National Middle School Association [NMSA], 2010). However, many young adolescents do not experience such responsive teaching practices, and this may result in a mismatch between students' school experiences and their basic and developmental needs (Deci, Vallerand, Pelletier, & Ryan, 1991; Eccles & Midgley, 1989; Eccles & Roeser, 2011). This mismatch may lead to declines in academic motivation, especially in urban, ethnically diverse school contexts (McHugh, Horner, Colditz, & Wallace, 2013).
Although researchers have investigated the ways teachers support student academic motivation using quantitative methods (Roorda, Koomen, Split, & Oort, 2011; Wentzel & Wigfield, 2009), some have called for more qualitative work that includes multiple participants' perspectives...