Student Motivation and Retention Essays -- Education Mathematics Essay

Student Motivation and Retention I decided to write most of paper about motivation because motivation is something that is lacking in several of my students in Junction City. I want to help students develop the motivation to learn math instead of hearing the bad attitude they have developed for mathematics. It is so frustrating to hear a student say that they do not care. Also in my paper, I plan to intertwine the topic of retention. My paper will lean more towards retaining students in math at the middle school level rather than college like the articles we read in class. I know that students can not switch out of math in the middle school, but they can choose to take many math classes in high school and choose a major in college for math. In other words, I want to find out ways for students to be interested in math field so they continue in the math field all the way up through college graduation. I have developed several great relationships with my students and care deeply about what the future holds for the m. My goal is to make a difference in their life by motivating them to like math and school so they do not drop out of high school. II. Background As I researched for articles dealing with motivation, the most common information that I found was strategies for increasing motivation. Some of the articles showed actual studies where certain strategies helped the student want to learn. The â€Å"Intrigue Model† by Lewkowicz is one strategy example that I will be writing about. Another article I found explained different types of motivation, which motivation is the best to have, and factors that influences the development of student motivation. Robert Case wrote a paper about a study he did in an India high school wat... ... OR, 1994. Malcolm, Shirley, and Treisman, Uri. â€Å"Calculus Success for All Students.† Calculus for a New Century: A Pump not a Filter, Steen, Lynn (ed.). Mathematical Association of America: Washington, DC, 1987. McNeal, Ralph. â€Å"Extracurricular Activities and High School Dropouts.† Sociology of Education v68n1: Jan 1995, 62-80. Renchler, Ron. â€Å"School Leadership and Student Motivation.† ERIC Digest No. 71. ERIC Clearinghouse on Educational Management: Eugene, OR, 1992. Seymour, Elaine, and Hewitt, Nancy. Talking About Leaving: Why Undergraduates Leave the Sciences. Westview Press: Boulder, CO: 1997. Treisman, Phillip Uri. â€Å"A Study of the Mathematics Performance of Black Students at the University of California, Berkeley.† Mathematicians and Education Reform: Proceedings of the July 6-8. 1988 Workshop, American Mathematical Society: Providence, RI, 1990.