It can be frustrating to feel like your child cares less about preparing for standardized tests than you do. Sometimes it’s tempting to bribe our kids with phone privileges if they finish their homework or finish practice tests, but while it might get the job done in the moment, it rarely works long-term. If our goal is to increase repeated positive behavior, we have to think differently.
Identifying the elements of motivation
One of the first steps in learning to think differently is to identify the elements of motivation. Parents often bring up procrastination as a major hurdle to their child’s success. The reality is, though, that procrastination is the result of a real struggle. As the New York Times reminds us, procrastination is an emotional control issue. If we want work to get done on time and without rushing, we need to flip the script and focus on motivation. The Motivation Equation helps us break that down:
Expectancy: This refers to our expectation that we will be successful; no one wants to start a task if they expect to fail. We can increase expectancy by breaking a project into smaller parts, asking for help or committing to just 15 minutes of effort at a time. Another way to increase expectancy? Help your teen notice when they do excel. Anything we can do to make a task less overwhelming and help students believe in their abilities increases their motivation.
Value: Value simply asks, “How important is this to you?” Ideally, students find intrinsic value in what we ask of them, but even when they do, increasing extrinsic rewards is a powerful part of motivation — especially if expectancy is low. Verbal recognition is the easiest way to increase value. Other low-cost rewards include a loosening of screen time rules, permission to stay out later, letting kids decide on meals or other family activities, or earning points towards larger rewards. As students build new routines, you can pull back on extrinsic rewards without negatively impacting motivation.
Impulsiveness: In our experience, the best way to decrease a student’s distractions is to involve that student in recognizing and responding to those distractions. Asking questions that encourage students to think about working efficiently and separating work time from play time creates buy-in that simply isn’t there if we tell them what to do: Do you feel good about the amount of time you spend studying? How can you change your environment to make it easier to focus on doing your best work? What gets in the way of you working as well as you want to?
Delay: Many of the tasks that students procrastinate are valuable because of the impact they will have in the distant future. They study for the SAT or ACT in order to score well, which hopefully means they can attend a college that sets them up for a job they’re excited about ten years down the line. On the other hand, checking Snapchat gets them social stimulation right now. The rewards discussed above can help decrease the delay in gratification for time spent preparing for standardized tests. Some students also find creating a vision board and keeping it close to their work area serves as a reminder of why they want to do well in school.
Leveraging the elements of motivation
How can you leverage those elements to increase your student's internal motivation? Alex Vermeer, professional researcher from the Machine Intelligence Research Institute, believes in order to build motivation in students, parents and educators must increase expectancy while decreasing distractions and reward delays. How can you do that, practically? Although there might not be a one-size fits all approach, consider the following ideas:
- Build a growth mindset. Intelligence and capabilities are developed over time, not overnight. Having a growth mindset helps students embrace challenges and setbacks and still persevere, recognizing these times as opportunities to develop test mastery..
- Try new strategies. Not all teens learn the same way. Offer various strategies for completing tasks (such as watching helpful videos instead of reading text or taking small breaks and incorporating physical activity into study).
Reinforce the power of asking for help: Remind your child that it takes courage to ask for guidance. In fact, this shows perseverance and accountability. - Encourage self-compassion. Consider how affirming your child’s efforts and acknowledging their struggles can benefit their willingness to keep trying. Learn more about the relationship between self-compassion and motivation here.
- Take note of internal motivators. What are the natural positive outcomes your teen can expect from test prep? Brainstorm these with your child. The more awareness they have of these, the fewer external rewards they’ll need.
- Understand their buy-in. Learn what your teen values and enjoys and allow them to choose their rewards (within reason). The long lasting impact will increase their sense of accomplishment and self-esteem, resulting in repeated positive behavior.
- Affirm, don’t praise. Your student is not just “smart” because they scored well on a practice test. They are determined; they attempted various strategies, paid close attention to detail, and developed mastery. Focus and comment on their positive internal characteristics.
You’ll experience ups and downs with your teen’s motivation levels. That’s okay! Perfection should never be the goal; drive and determination are what’s important.
Need more individualized advice?
The recommendations above are general suggestions. If you have specific questions, reach out to our experts here. We’re happy to help in any way we can.
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