Activating Culturally Empathic Motivation in Diverse Students

Abstract

School motivation as a construct is increasingly surfacing in classrooms across the United States. The research on achievement and intrinsic motivation has become more complex, given contemporary inquiries on trauma-informed practices, special education-related services. With the absence of culturally empathic practices, each of these factors can potentially add another barrier and impact those involved in the learning process. The need for schools to develop dynamic multi-disciplinary teams that capitalize on relational energy to provide support and increase student motivation remains necessary. Schools explore creative ways to prioritize relationships before rigor to see improvements in student motivation and the attainment of student learning outcomes. Low self-worth, falling short of expectations, or completely missing the mark magnifies the differences between self-perception and one’s identity as perceived by others. To combat deficit-based models of engagement, the researchers analyzed culturally empathic motivation in diverse students. Teacher expectations, modeling, and enthusiasm need to be apparent to students, and teachers’ efficacy needs to embrace the idea that all students can learn. Teacher quality, learning climate, and powerful instruction are vital to designing a productive learning environment that motivates students to learn. In a positive learning climate, the teacher and the students work together as a community of learners to help everyone achieve. Motivation plays a significant role in the creation of experiences that enhance the development of empathic awareness. Taking a deeper look at motivation interventions through a holistic ecological lens that is both culturally intelligent and trauma-informed will create a strength-based collaborative learning perspective.