Whitney Justice

Educational Psych
6/30/15
Dr. Duckworth

Final Exam Essay

Students learn many things through school. Many teachers play an amazing role
in students growth and development throughout school. Teachers help students learn
what motivates them and how to utilize that, they also teach students how to set goals and
obtain them. When students get angry at the teachers, teachers help the students learn
how to handle that how to work through it. Teachers are also responsible for the students
grades. Teachers have a major role in students lives, not only in the classroom but
helping the student become who they are created to be.
According to Woolfolk, motivation is, an internal state that arouses, directs, and
maintains behavior (444). There are a couple different kinds of motivation. There is
intrinsic motivation and there is extrinsic motivation. Intrinsic motivation is internal. We
have desires and in order to reach those desires, something inside of us fires up, it desires
to conquer that challenge. With intrinsic motivation, no outside forces are used to
motivate someone. Extrinsic is different. It is when other factors motivate us such as
pleasing the teacher, wanting friends, avoiding punishment, or gaining a reward. The
extrinsic motivator isnt too interested in the actual task, but what the task can do for
them. Ideally everyone wants to think that they are intrinsic motivators that dont need
any outside forces to encourage the task, but we are not. Most people do the task for the
gratification of something else outside the task. People can even maintain both

motivations at different times. If it a task that person particularly likes, then the person
may have intrinsic motivation to accomplish that task, but it is usually with task we dont
like that we become the extrinsic motivator. There are four approaches to motivation:
behavioral, humanistic, cognitive, and sociocultural.
Behavioral approach to motivation is when motivation begins with careful
analysis of the incentives and rewards (446). Students can be rewarded for their good
behavior, for accomplishing a task, or for getting along with others. If the student gives
the teacher a certain behavior, the teacher will give the student a reward. An incentive on
the other hand is an object that encourages or discourages a behavior. This approach to
motivation is extrinsic because the teacher would be using the means of rewards and
incentives to motivate the student to accomplish the task. Humanistic approach to
motivation is the next one. It is () a persons needs for self-actualization, the inborn
actualizing tendency, or the need for self-determination (446). For a humanistic
approach to encourage motivation would be to encourage students inner resources. These
students love to accomplish tasks for the sake of accomplishing them. The students only
use the resources that are inside of them to find the motivation to accomplish a task. The
best way to encourage students that maintain humanist motivation is to give them
choices and allow them to decide what they want to do. The third approach to motivation
is the cognitive approach which is also an intrinsic motivation. People that have this
approach to motivation are viewed as active and curious, searching for information to
solve personally relevant problems (447). Cognitive approach is determined by our own
thinking. The word cognitive means thinking, so this approach to learning means that the
mind stimulates the motivation and the task gets accomplish because we are determined

through our own minds. Students that are use cognitive approaches to motivation are
usually goal setters, planners, schemers, have high expectations, and attributions.
Sociocultural approach to motivation is the final approach. The approach emphasizes
participation in communities of practice (447). People engage in activities because of
other people or community relationships. They do it to maintain their identities to people.
If a student is in a classroom that values learning then that student will rise to the
occasion and value learning by getting good grades, however, if the classroom is reversed
and it doesnt value learning, then the sociocultural motivator will not value learning
either. As a soccer player, I have claimed my identity within a group. I am Whitney who
is a part of the Womens soccer team at East Texas Baptist University. Therefore, if I
possessed motivation through the sociocultural approach, I would seek to maintain my
identity within the community of my soccer team. Schools and communities also need to
connect past experiences and students knowledge with tasks to ensure the best learning is
taking place.
Motivation can be hard as a teacher, coach, parents, or friend. Sometimes the
person needs to figure out what approach to motivation they have and if they are
intrinsically motivated or if they are extrinsically motivated. It is important to figure these
things out at a young age that way the student knows his/her tendencies and can share
them with the people that are around them and want to help or encourage them be
motivated.
Goals are good for anyone to have. They help us stay on task and they help us
reach our potentials. Goals are specific targets that the person wants or desires to reach.
Goal orientations are patterns of beliefs about goals related to achievement in school

(453). It includes the reasons we pursue goals as well as the standards we use to evaluate
if we have met our goals.
There are four main goal orientations, but for the sake of looking at Elliot and
Bills situation in the classroom, we will only look at mastery or learning goals and
performance goals. Mastery goals are to improve, to learn, no matter how awkward you
appear (453). Mastery goals are good for students to set because it gives the students a
sense of ownership and they have a higher engagement in the task. The student wants to
accomplish the task instead of forcing the student to accomplish it. This is the kind of
goals Bill has as a student. Bill loves challenges and loves books and projects. He has a
desire to learn all that he possibly can. He also isnt worried about the other students in
class, he is confident in his learning abilities and goals. The other goal orientation is
performance goals. Students with performance goals care about demonstrating their
ability to others (454). This motivation to learn is a tricky one. Their goals are
determined off of other peoples praise. It could be a good thing and make them strive for
more excellence or it could be a bad thing when they dont get the attention they desire
they could shut down. The evaluation of their performance by other peers, teachers,
parents, or coaches is all that matters to this student. Elliot possesses this performance
quality. Elliots appearance to others seems to be his motivation to work hard in school.
In his science fair project, he didnt care about the content, but how the content would
appear to others. He even makes excuses about his test scores if he didnt do well. If he
did well he says he didnt even study, which looks impressive and that is what he wants
to do, look like something to people. If he didnt do very well then he downplays the
test or his ability to care.

Bill is a hard working student that is motivated intrinsically by his goals. If Bill
participated in the annual fund-raising drive then he would set a high goal for himself to
reach. There is a good chance that Bill will set out to beat the high record, not because he
desires the praise and awareness from others but because he is motivated by his own
goals. If he wants something, then he set goals and achieves it because he loves the
challenge. Elliot, on the other hand, would set out to reach the highest total or beat it so
that he can get the praise from others. He wants people to tell him how great he is and
how hard he worked toward the goal. He wouldnt set the goal because he likes the
challenge, he would set the goal so that he can be impressive to other people. He needs
that kind of attention. If Elliot fell short of his goal, then he would play it off as if he
didnt even want the highest total to begin with. He might say that the only reason he was
even in the competition was because other people wanted him to be. He would say that
hes just happy he participated or that he wanted to only raise $50 and thats what he did,
even if his real goal was to beat the highest total.
Elliots teacher more than likely wishes that he would be more like Bill and love
challenges for the sake of loving them. However, Elliot is not Bill and does not have the
same goals as Bill. In order to help Bill out, the teacher may give him some goals to work
with personally. The teacher may encourage his behavior by giving him what he desires,
praise. He wants the attention to be on him, then the teacher should reward him with
praise when he accomplishes a task well. If Elliot does not accomplish a task well, then
his teacher may want to try to talk to him and find how why he didnt do well. If she
encourages him to do well, that may change his mind. The teacher could play a huge role
in the students achievement of his goals.

Ellen seems to think that Mr. Fournier is picking on her by telling her to sit down
in her seat. She is growing more and more angry by the minute and drawing all kinds of
attention to herself during class time. When Mr. Fournier asks her to sit down she refuses.
He continues to ask her but she continues to refuse. If I were Mr. Fournier, I would give
Ellen a few minutes to recover herself. Maybe ask her to go stand outside or remove
herself from the group. It would be in the best interest of the rest of the students if he
continued with their lesson. Once he gives her a few minutes to cool down, he can then
approach her. They can hopefully talk through the issue and come to an understanding.
Mr. Fourniers initial response is classified as assertive. He is not hostile or angry with
Ellen, he is not aggressive in his words or his manner, he stands his ground and tells her
to do what he said. Many teachers have a problem with either being too wishy-washy and
passive when it comes to discipline or too harsh and aggressive. The passive teacher will
ask the student to sit in their seat or to think about their actions of not sitting in their seat.
If the teacher doesnt get the desired response from the student then the passive teacher is
likely to ignore the behavior hoping that it would go away. The hostile teacher on the
other hand may make condemning statements that will make students feel bad about
themselves and their actions. There words are not positive and uplifting, but negative and
destructive. Both of those responsive are difficult because students will challenge your
response. The students with the passive teacher will learn to take advantage of the teacher
and the students with the aggressive teacher may learn to be aggressive back or may learn
to rebel and still do what they want instead of what they teacher wants them to do. The
best response for a teacher to give is an assertive one. An assertive response
coomunicates to the students that [the teacher] care[s] too much about them and the

process of learning to allow inappropriate behavior to persist (517). The assertive

teachers voice is calm, firm, and confident.
Gordons no-lose method could be very effective in this situation with Mr.
Fountier and Ellen. In this approach, no one person loses, but instead both parties give a
little. Respect is still maintained by both the student and the teacher. Gordons no-lose
situation is a problem-solving strategy that involves six steps. Step one is defining the
problem. Mr. Fountier and Ellen would need to define the problem. Mr. Foundier has
asked her to sit in her seat but Ellen has refused claiming that he always picks on her.
They need to come to an understanding of what each other want. Step two is generating
many possible solutions. Ellen and Mr. Foundier need to brainstorm to come up with a
solution that would help them both out. The third step is evaluating each solution. Once
Mr. Foundier and Ellen brainstorm some solutions, they will need to evaluate each one
for effectiveness. If they still cannot reach a solution, then they must brainstorm again.
The fourth step is making a decision on a solution. It is important that everyone must be
satisfied with the solution, so choosing one that enables both parties to give a little is the
best. The fifth step is determining how to implement the solution into the problem. Mr.
Foundier and Ellen need to see what is needed in this solution and who will maintain
what part in it. The sixth and final step is evaluating the success of the solution. After
trying the solution, coming back together to evaluate and maybe even change a little for
next time is important. Mr. Foundier and Ellen both need to see if the solution was
successful for them and for each other.
Through the situation between Mr. Foundier and Ellen, the teacher should have
learned better and more effective ways to handle difficult students and the student should

have learned that her behavior was unacceptable but her teacher cared so much about her
and her learning that he went out of his way to help fix the problem. Difficult students are
going to happen to teachers, but it is the way that the teacher learns to handle the situation
that makes the teacher stand out.
Ms. Rogers is using a norm-referenced grading system. There are advantages and
disadvantages to this grading system just like there are to any other. In norm-referenced
grading, the major influence on a grade is the students standing in comparison with others
who also took the course (587). Ms. Rogers uses a general average for her students in
her classroom. The majority of her students have done really well and even the small
amount of students that have not were not given a very low grade. In general, all the
students fell right around the same area as far as their grades. This seems crazy to think
that every single student in a classroom can receive either an A or B. However,
when the range is so wide, 20 points is a big range for two letter grades, then it does
make sense. The negatives to norm-referenced grading is grading on the curve. Grading
on the curve refers to comparing students performance to an average level. This could
system could be negative because students could be bitter based on wherever their grade
falls on the curve. It could damage the relationship between the teacher and the student.
Even though Ms. Rogers is an experienced teacher, her grading system doesnt
reflect it. The principal is correct that the students need differeiantion in instruction and in
grading. No one student is exactly alike and grading the students based on an overall
average or the average of other students isnt positive to the students that seem to struggle
more. Ms. Rogers need to reevaluate her grading system. As teachers, we are supposed to
evaluate ourselves and our methods frequently so that we can become the best educators

we possibly can be. I think because Ms. Rogers has been doing this for so long and her
students grades reflect positive things that she has never considered reevaluating.
Students can not all be held to the same standard, they each need their own standard to be
held to. I am not saying each student needs their own grading systems, however, if a
student seems to be struggling more so than most, it might be the most beneficial thing
for the teacher to evaluate that student based on his/her own abilities instead of the
abilities of the majority.
As we can see through the examples in the stories, teachers play a vital role in the
lives of the students. Sometimes students dont get what they need in their home lives.
Some students dont learn what is right from wrong, some dont experience love, and
some dont have a good support system. Those are reasons why teachers roles are so
important. The teacher gets to teach their student not only the classroom material but also
life skills that they will use forever. As a teacher, I cannot wait to impact my students in
these ways. I am excited to get to know them and help them figure what makes them who
they are. I cannot think of a more fulfilling job.

Appendix A

Categories

Points
Possible

SelfEvaluation

APA formatting / Grammar / Punctuation /

Usage / Spelling

30

25

Quality, depth, and support for the first response

60

55

Quality, depth, and support for the second

response

60

55

Quality, depth, and support for the third

response

60

55

Quality, depth, and support for the fourth

response

60

57

Introduction, conclusion and evidence of

personal insight and/or learning

30

28

Total Points

300

275

Average of the two scores:

Instructor
Evaluation

Reference:
Woolfolk, Anita (2016, 2013, 2010). Educational Psychology (Ed. 13th).
Columbus, OH: Pearson.