Evaluation of student’s goals and motivations,
Executive Summary
The case study involves an evaluation of student’s goals and motivations, where the study will have an assessment of various factors. The study will be guided by the outlined research questions and objectives. Evaluation of the necessary literature review will also help the research in recognizing what other scholars thinks about the case study. Methodology will also be effective by offering the researcher with the ability to gain first- hand information from the respondents. The information will then undergo a series of scrutiny that will enable the research come up with a concrete conclusion and a number of recommendations.
1.0 Chapter 1
1.1 Introduction
1.1.1 Factors Influencing Student’s Goals and Motivations
According to Dotson (44) administrators and teachers usually lookout for strategies that will ensure that students achieve improvements in towards their education life. Therefore, it becomes important for the educators to come up with compatible procedures that will be induced towards the student’s life to ensure that they get motivated to achieve their educational goals. Damon et al (10) on the other hand, states that appropriate mechanisms in trying to motivate such students have proven to be a bit challenging without the student’s willingness. Their notion has also been echoed by Fadlelmula and Kayan (860) stating that in most instances, the student’s poor performance at times has an association with irresponsibility either by the students, families or the society and not the student’s inability.
Dotson (45) also posits that student’s attitudes towards education has a great influence on how their goals towards education will be ineffective leading to lack of motivation in achieving best performances. Most performers usually set goals and work towards achieving them with enthusiasm since they provide established directions towards the student’s future in learning. Fadlelmula and Kayan (860) postulates that goal setting does not necessarily have to influence the student but rather it leads to a positive impact upon learning. Therefore, is essential for teachers to formulate a knowledgeable process that will ensure that the students have effective goals for their learning (Soares et al., 30). On the same note, the student as should be aware that by setting their own goals will improve their attitudes towards their academic performance which in return will result to positive impacts in their future.
1.2 Background of the Study
The nature of a student’s attitude towards education is a determinant of the kind of goals and motivations that such student requires towards their educational performance and value. As well, the student’s attitudes and behaviors can be impacted bye kind of society, tutors, and families that they hail from in one way or another thus impacting their motivation and future goals (Graunke, Sherry, and Laura 14). The past studies depicts that even if the teachers and institutions try to motivate students upon goal building, without understanding their behaviors and attitudes, the process usually becomes hectic. Therefore, it will be important for all stakeholders to come up with necessary procedures that will provide a starting point in ensuring that the students will develop appropriate goals (Gareth. et al 5).
One of the ways involve ensuring that the students develop a great relationship especially with a school counselor who can help them undergo various healing process in case personal issues are some of the contributing factors (John, et al., 286). Also, the teachers should evaluate mechanisms that will induce the students with positive attitudes such as price giving ceremonies which will not only focus on best performers but also those that have improved in their studies ( Smith 3). Therefore, with such an approach, education stakeholders can make a compatible relationship that can improve the student’s role in urge of attaining best performances. On the same, students through their peers can teach one another on importance of education where they hold group discussions to help each other where they can have a mutual benefit in attaining academic excellence (Smith 3). Hence, by incorporating such keen consideration in student life, the students and all education stakeholders can lead to motivation that will help the students even in their career life.
The primary determinant of goals and motivation in student life is the learning environment that they are exposed which tends to influence their attitudes and their behaviors towards education life. As well, the people that inspire them also act another factor since some students end up failing to get committed due to the messages disseminated to them where some may discourage them to press on while other may divert their attention towards school life. Therefore it will be necessary for all education stakeholders to formulate different methods that will help improve the students’ behaviors and attitudes for the students’ motivation to come up with effective goals. The study at hand tries to evaluate various drivers that are key in a student’s life regarding goals and motivations towards a better life. Hence, the study is set to answer the following hypothesis questions.
1.4 Research Question
Most studies value identifying the problems in question which provide them with a clear insight of the study objectives that need to be incorporated. Hence, this study will have the following questions that will address all inquiries about the student’s goals and motivation drives.
- What are the primary factors that influence students’ goals and motivations?
- Who are the main stakeholders in ensuring that the students achieve the necessary support in trying to improve their performances?
- How do student’s attitudes and behaviors influence their academic performance?
- Why is motivation and goals essential in a student’s academic life?
1.5 Aim of the Study
Many scholars have done various studies concerning how school performance has a connection with the students’ motivation and goal setting. Hence, the study at hand has an aim of exploring on what affects students motivation and the primary causes that impacts students goal setting strategies. On the same, the study will try to identify and analyse student’s commitment in achieving academic excellence through their attitudes and behaviours. Notably, the study will also indulge in finding effective measures that students can incorporate in their studies to improve their goal setting. Also, on the issue of motivation, the analysis will offer a concrete ways that all education stakeholders can uphold to ensure that the students get motivated.
1.6 Study Objectives
The study objectives of this study will be informed by the research questions whose aim is in identifying major ways which can improve student’s goal setting and motivation towards academic excellence. As a way of widening the research strategies, the following objectives will be incorporated in the study, which will also help in coming up with a supportive conclusion and recommendations.
- To identify the primary factors that influence students’ goals and motivations.
- To investigate the main academic stakeholders, and how they influence the student’s academic excellence.
- To evaluate student’s attitudes and behaviors that influences their academic performance.
- To evaluate why motivations and goals are essential in a student’s academic life.
- Roll out research- based recommendations that students and the relevant stakeholder’s should focus on to ensure that students achieve academic excellence.
Chapter 2
2.0 Literature Review
Generalizing the issue of motivation and goal setting in a student’s academic life is not the best approach since there is need to consider the differences among individual students (Dominique, et al 255). According to Demetriou and Amy (308), motivation has a great connection with goal setting which ends up affecting the whole academic performance and life of a student’s making goal setting the center of attention. Also, Singh (166) believes that various factors such as the student’s belief, goal commitment, cognitive ability and optimism have an ability to determine their overall academic performance. For instance, if a student has a belief that no matter the circumstances they are in they have to succeed, such personality trait can transform in achievement of positive academic excellence. Also, Brophy (79) posit that there is a great connection between beliefs and optimism since both acts as a link towards helping the students achieve their goals. Locke, and Gary (664) also believes that cognitive ability despite it being attributed as a pro-social attributes, helps the students especially in their learning centers. In such instances, the student can easily pay attention to the tutor’s lectures thus reinforcing their education backgrounds towards greater education achievement. Williams-Pierce and Caro (10) perspective indicates that whenever a student possess a positive attitude, motivations and goal setting becomes easier on their side since such attitudes acts as determinants of overall achievements. As well, Brophy, (76-77) postulates that once a student has a motive in working upon a goal to its attainment, then such student will work day in day out in ensuring that they will eventually achieve it. The same case applies when the student has no motivation towards goal attainment; the end result is that the student will end up ignoring signals that can help him or her towards attaining the goal (Cauley, and James, 5). On the same, Saeed and David (252) feels that whenever a student spots that a goal is hard to attain, the morale towards goals commitment reduces leading to overall goal setting failure thus reducing chances of academic excellence. Schunk and Barry (267) believe that the best way to address the issue is by use of normative information which is best addressed by social comparison theory which proposes on self- evaluation. In such an instance, when a student evaluates themselves in a critical way, and what they want to achieve not only in academic life but also in future, then the probability of them performing excellently is very high. According to Zimmerman (69) goal setting theory also helps in evaluating the extent and factors that a student needs to incorporate in their study to achieve academic excellence. Therefore, the study will mainly focus on the student self-evaluation factor which will help in formulating research questions.
Chapter 3
3.0 Research Methodology
3.1 Introduction
The case study regarding students’ motivation and goal setting seeks to unpin the efforts that the students should incorporate for their academic excellence despite having support from other education stakeholders. Therefore, the study will use qualitative research methods that will help to identify the major issues surrounding student’s motivation and goal setting agendas. The study is set to accommodate 30 participants who will have various backgrounds especially on religion, age and gender. The primary data collection tool will be open-ended questionnaires but for comparison reasons, the study will also incorporate interviews, and primary sources for research accuracy.
3.2 Research Design
Research design according to Leavy (8) indicates the kind of structure and organization that a research is set to follow, which acts as a blue print that structures data collection, evaluation and analysis. The main consideration in research design is for the researcher to be very keen to ensure that the results are not jeopardized through ensuring that research objectives, nature and research topics are followed adherently. Hence the researcher needs to evaluate the research ability to answer the set research hypothetical questions. Therefore, the research design should help the study at hand to have a concrete direction and meaning.
On the other hand, the research approach will employ an inductive approach where first data will be collected, evaluated and later on analysed before coming up with recommendations and conclusions. Inductive approach is considered advantageous since it does not require large amount of data which will be helpful in the case study at hand. The only limitation with such approach is that the findings might be compromised due to such small samples though the researcher with different methods of data collection will try to minimize such cases.
3.3 Data Collection Method
The primary data collection method will be open-ended questionnaire which will be distributed among the participants. The criteria that will follow in distributing them will depend with the participant’s convenience since I believe that some might ask the questionnaire to be distributed through their emails and other means. The participants will involve 16 males and 14 female students. For the focused-groups, the questionnaires too will apply which will help the researcher to compare data to ensure its reliability and validity. The interviews will also help in gaining insight of first- hand information from the participants. In such situation, the researcher will manage to evaluate if the participant is offering truthful information. The secondary sources will help in evaluating the provided data with that of the other scholars. For the focused group, there will be five participants in each group where there three will be males and 2 will be females as a way of avoiding gender biasness.
3.4 Ethical Considerations
The research has set measures to ensure that various ethical mechanisms will be put in place during the research. Such mechanisms involves the participants confidentiality, consent signing and opting out in case they feel that the research do not fit their expectation to avoid compromising the whole research processes.
Chapter 4
4.0 Research Analysis
4.1 Findings
The findings will rely on the data collected where during this specific stage, the main activities will be analysing data from the softcopy and hardcopy mediums for all mediums an activity that is set to happen for a month. Therefore, I will have to look for dedicated and trusted analysts that will help me beat the deadline. The grouping of data will be evaluated basing on gender, age and religious categories to help easier clarification of concepts. From the findings, that’s where research hypothesis will be analysed as a way of leading to appropriate recommendations. As well, research limitations will be evaluated and the rate at which they affected the research
Chapter 5
5.0 Conclusion
The section will involve a summary of the whole case study especially the methodology, findings and project analysis. The researcher will elaborate exclusively on the whole research with an aim of giving insight of the study stages which will then lead to the recommendation chapter. The recommendations will aim at directing the research on what the students should do to get motivated and to set appropriate goals as a way of achieving their academic excellence.
Work Cited
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