Motivation for Students Before Exams

Ways to Develop Motivation in Your Classroom

How do you develop gain motivation for students before exams? Can motivation be taught to students? If so, how?

Testing season is probably the most stressful time of the year. And everyone can feel it! For this reason, motivation is likely at an all-time low at this time of year.

So let’s dive into strategies for motivation for students before exams!

Is it possible to motivate students?

Yes! Motivation is something that can be taught and developed over time. Some research-backed strategies include:

The Arcs Model by John Keller (attention, relevance, confidence, satisfaction)
Jerome Bruner says there are 3 factors of motivation-curiosity, control, cooperation
In a Ted talk given by Peter Gärdenfors, the cognitive science professor gave 2 examples that include all 3 factors of the psychologist’s theory on motivation. These two activities include video games and peer learning

How long does it take for students to feel motivated?

Studies show that developing a good habit can take approximately 66 days. This is based on studies done about forming good habits and regaining a spark.

So what do you do if you are reading this because you are looking to motivate your students for a test in a few days?

Here are some strategies to gain some last-minute motivation and confidence to rock that next test!

1. Strike a high-power pose for a jolt of confidence. Studies have found that spending 1-2 minutes standing in a power pose (think Wonder Woman) will greatly increase your self-image and confidence to conquer a task.

2. Give yourself a pep-talk. This can be done quietly in your head, aloud in front of a mirror or around others.

3. Eat some dopamine-inducing foods. These include fruit and vegetables, nuts such as almonds and walnuts and dark chocolate.

Click here to download the free Soft Skills Guide for Elementary ELA Teachers.

Strategies for Developing Motivation for Students Before Exams

Ask them! Turn it into a project. Ask students to research and explore what it means to be motivated. Students could learn about the difference between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Students could present projects about what motivates them and how they will use this knowledge in the future. This is also a great way to get to know your students better! I think this could be a cool project for students familiar with project-based learning. Click here to read a blog post of mine on project-based learning.

Humour. Find funny motivation posters to display in your classroom. Or stick funny motivational quotes on sticky notes and place them on your students’ desks. Try to make your students smile as much as possible during this stressful time
Use learning styles. Similarly to number 1, have students take ownership of their learning. Get students to complete a quiz that tells them what their particular learning style is. Then have students research ways to learn that best suit their learning style! This makes students a part of the process!