Chapter 5

I found the five views of motivation very applicable to my current position as an assistant principal. Right now I am dealing with a flurry of bus referrals that started around the end of September until the present time. As I read the section on sociocultural approaches to motivation, I asked myself if this is a big reason for all of the misbehaviors on the buses. Some of these students have never ridden a bus, and half the time the middle schoolers are on the bus there are no older role models as examples of how to behave. According to the text, we learn how to behave in society by watching and learning from more capable members of the culture (pg. 151). Most of these students have not had bus etiquette modeled for them yet. Maybe we as a staff need to go back and teach students how to find a seat quietly, talk with respectful tones and language while riding, and be prompt at the bus stop if we are to expect permanent, positive change in behaviors.

Reading about self-efficacy on pages 166-169 was a good review of the research project I did a few years back for my masters at UW-Superior. I focused on best practices to increase self-efficacy in teachers. A main point I highlighted from the text was the research summary on page 167 that student self-efficacy is increased when students 1) adopt short-term goals to more easily judge progress; 2) are taught specific learning strategies; and 3) receive rewards based on quality of performance and not just engagement or effort. I have tried to utilize this thinking as I work with students with patterns of misbehaviors during unstructured times. We have made reasonable goals together. To reach these goals we have had discussions about appropriate behaviors and we have even practiced them. When one of my students reached their goal he was rewarded with a private lunch with his best friend.