Running head RELATIONSHIPS AND MOTIVATION

Student-Teacher Relationships and Motivation

TED 690 Capstone
Paul Delos Santos
August 11, 2016

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Abstract

Students working without motivation frustrate teachers. So how do you motivate students?
Adibah Najihah Jasmi and Lim Chong Hin conclude that teachers can motivate students by
building positive relationships with their students. This paper analyzes their finding and provides
context to the tricky case of student motivation.

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Understanding Student Motivation
Student motivation comes in two forms: intrinsic and extrinsic. Intrinsic motivation
comes in the form of internal satisfaction of completing a task and/or mastery of content, while
extrinsic motivation is the approval of parents, teachers, and external rewards (Center for
Teaching, 2016). Both types of motivation have a distinct set of advantages and disadvantages.
Intrinsic motivation provides a long-lasting satisfaction but takes a while to change student
behavior. Extrinsic motivation, on the other hand, provides a faster change in behavior, but
devalues long-term mastery in favor of short-term satisfaction (Center for Teaching, 2016).
When it comes to student-teacher relationships, what begins as extrinsic motivation needs to
become intrinsic motivation. Initially a teacher, and/or parents, will serve as initial extrinsic
motivators, because the student does not want to let the role models down and/or desires a
favorable grade/reward. In order to become a source of motivation, teachers need to build
positive student-teacher relationships. They have to become role models that students do not
want to let down. In order to do this, as Adibah Najihah Jasmi and Lim Chong Hin write,
teachers must display the following traits: caring, supportive, trustworthy, approachable, and
goal setter (Jasmi and Hin, 2014, pp. 77-79).
Student Motivation and Student-Teacher Relationships
Jasmi and Hin investigated the impact of student-teacher relationships. Upon their
research, the duo discovered these common themes: teacher support, emotional connection,
caring, and creation of expectation (Jasmi and Hin, 2014, p. 76). They took these themes and
interviewed a pair of students in a Malaysian boarding school and used the data to compile
information about their relationships with teachers. Jasmi and Hins information found that the
various themes influenced the level of motivation (Jasmi and Hin, 2014, p. 77).

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When it comes to care, Jasmi and Hin found that two students felt that if their teacher
showed a genuine interest in them, they felt the need to perform better. The teacher acted as a
great source of motivation (Jasmi and Hin, 2014, p. 77)." In terms of support, the duo
discovered that a lack of support caused students to become discouraged and lose motivation.
Teachers displaying a supportive nature, however, boosted students confidence and allowed the
students to believe they can succeed (Jasmi and Hin, 2014, p. 78). Jasmi and Hin observed
trust as well. One student, Naim, outlined how a teachers trust empowered him to live up to that
trust. He focused on how it was that trust that propelled him to becoming an A student (Jasmi and
Hin, 2014, p. 78). The students involved in the study added that the trust was built through caring
and support, and that the teacher had earned their trust as well. The students trusted their teacher
that what was being taught was going to benefit them in the long run (Jasmi and Hin, 2014, p.
78). All of the previous traits: care, support, and trust, came from the overarching theme of
approachability. The students in the study felt that approachable teachers made them feel
comfortable to ask questions and receive help. Arif, the other student in the study, noted that a
teacher who circulated the room was deemed approachable because she was available for all
students. With that in mind, teachers who were deemed unapproachable dealt with the opposite.
Students tended to be more reserved toward those teachers, meaning motivation dipped (Jasmi
and Hin, 2014, p. 79). The final theme the duo discovered was the creation of expectation. Jasmi
and Hins research displayed mixed response. While setting high expectations could discourage
students, Arif mentioned that with high expectations should come plenty of support to make the
students feel that they are making progress toward that expectation (Jasmi and Hin, 2014, p. 79).
Low expectations, however, also hurt motivation. When the bar was set too low, students put in
less effort. This is the ultimate challenge for teachers: identifying the right level of expectations

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for students to make them feel challenged and keep motivation high, but not creating impossible
expectations. In order for that to happen, the teacher must display the five themes presented by
Jasmi and Hin.
Development of Intrinsic Motivation
Once teachers become a source of extrinsic motivation, it is on the teacher to harness this
and turn it into intrinsic motivation. A teacher can do so by utilizing the same traits as extrinsic
motivation. It comes down to turning successes into self-satisfaction rather than just making
someone happy or receiving a grade. That self-satisfaction can be created for the student through
care, support, trust, approachability, and creation of expectation from the teacher. Teachers
should stress the process, the work, and the satisfaction that comes from mastery or
accomplishing a task. This, however, is a long process. It will take numerous assignments where
extrinsic motivation and expectations come from the teacher. Once students understand what is
expected of them on a consistent basis, it becomes instinct, which then becomes intrinsic
motivation because the motivation will come internally rather than from outside sources. In the
face of failure, teachers must use those moments to motivate and help students discover their
confidence to try again until mastery is accomplished and repeat the need to respect the process.
These traits are vital to a teacher. As important as content knowledge and pedagogy are, it does
not take away the fact that students need teachers who care about them to motivate them and
help them succeed (Jasmi and Hin, 2014, p. 81).
Criticism of the Study
The study suffers from sample size issues and the environment, but it still paints a picture
of the importance of building connections to develop student motivation. Understandably, the
relationship the two students had with their teachers in the Malaysian boarding school differed

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than the relationship students have in public school in the United States. The students lived away
from home at a boarding school, raising the importance of the teacher in their daily lives (Jasmi
and Hin, 2014, p. 77). Even with these issues, Jasmi and Hin make a strong case for the need for
positive student-teacher relationships in order to help students develop motivation, whether it is
extrinsic or intrinsic.

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References

Center for Teaching. (n.d.). Retrieved August 10, 2016, from https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guidessub-pages/motivating-students/
Jasmi, A. N., & Hin, L. C. (2014). Student-Teacher Relationship and Student Academic
Motivation. Journal for Interdisciplinary Research in Education (JIRE) J Interdiscip Res
Educ, 4(1). doi:10.7603/s40933-014-0006-0