There are many factors that influence learning success. Everything from external rewards, to personal goals and interests or a change in a school's environment. One of these factors is the ability to take what one has learned and apply it to real-life situations. No matter the circumstances, if someone applies themselves and has a strong motivation to learn, they can achieve anything. But what other factors keep a person focused and determined? When it comes to students specifically, can peer pressure be applied or do parental influences affect a student's ability to learn? What about personal attributes, wins or losses? Can a student find the motivation within themselves to achieve their academic goals or do they rely on the influence of others? “Motivation occurs at every stage of the process of learning and achieving” (Lin-Siegler, Dweck, & Cohen, 2016, p. 295). There are several types of motivation that come into play when it comes to motivation and learning, such as intrinsic motivation – an internal or internally controlled source, extrinsic motivation – an external source, autonomous motivation and self-support. autonomy in the classroom – support from teachers or aides. Although teachers are there to help students on their journey, they may not be able to control every aspect of motivation, but they can help students develop motivation and willingness to learn new things. Added to this are the obstacles that a student goes through, such as transitions from one grade level to another. This article will explore the importance of motivation and interest by discussing the different factors that influence the success of how a student learns in the classroom. Other factors will also be discussed, such as transitions during different school periods, as well as family and peer influences. Personal attributions or goals will also be explored. This article concludes with ways to help you stay motivated to learn, whether to help yourself or to help another person. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”?Get the original essayAccording to Dasakalovska, Gudeva, and Ivanovska (2012), motivation is one, if not the most important factor that influences achievement of learning. They believe that it is unclear to define motivation and whether it leads to successful learning, or in some cases, on the contrary, whether successful learning leads to motivation. Dasakalovska, Gudeva, and Ivanovska (2012) defined motivation as “an inner impulse, impulse, emotion, or desire that moves a person to a particular action” (Dasakalovska, Gudeva, and Ivanovska, 2012, p. 1187). Any motivated person is someone who wants to achieve a goal and is willing to invest the time or whatever it takes to achieve that goal. Everyone has a need or something that motivates them, but the environment around them also plays a role. Dasakalovska, Gudeva, and Ivanovska (2012) listed several characteristics that are important factors in motivation. The first characteristic is a positive task orientation. This is when the person is ready to take on challenges and is confident in their success in accomplishing their work. The second characteristic is the involvement of the ego. Ego involvement occurs when the person finds it important for them to succeed so they can maintain a positive image. The third characteristic is the need forsuccess ; a person must have the desire to achieve and overcome the challenges of what they wish to achieve. With this comes the fourth and fifth, high aspirations and goal orientation which are similar to positive task orientation when facing challenges and overcoming obstacles, but which also make the person self-conscious of his goal and direct his energy towards its achievement. Perseverance and tolerance for ambiguity complete the list of characteristics of a person who is consistent and doesn't let anything stand in their way, even if there are setbacks along their journey. They also learn to be patient and know that there is a light at the end of the tunnel, all setbacks have major comebacks. Dasakalovska, Gudeva, and Ivanovska (2012) also mentioned that there is a relationship between extrinsic motivation and intrinsic motivation. “External motivation is the influence of some kind of external incentive such as money, prizes, grades and the desire to please parents and peer influence” (Dasakalovska, Gudeva and Ivanovska, 2012, p.1189). While intrinsic motivation “comes from learners and their attitudes towards their learning goals and objectives, their emotions, their ambitions, etc. » Activities geared towards intrinsic motivation don't really have a physical reward or incentive, they lean more towards the person engaging in the activity because it makes them feel better about themselves personally, which can be a reward in itself. That being said, can others influence these types of motivation? Jang's (2008) research supported this point by conducting a study that explains how students bring their own influential characteristics into a classroom environment, but also the characteristics that are found in a learning environment. affect their motivational states, such as their interest and engagement in what is presented. Voke (2002) stated that young children learn naturally when there are no external pressures or need for improvement, they are simply trying to make sense of the world around them. As students move from elementary school to middle school and from middle school to high school, things like their workload and the need to do better become more important, leading to more stress. “Students' academic motivation declines steadily after this transition, as children's primarily motivated orientation gives way to adolescents' more extrinsically motivated orientation” (Jang, 2008, p. 798). Research by Allen and Robbins (2010) states that students who graduate within a certain time frame, or within the expected time frame for completing their degree, are more likely to benefit in the long term. Unfortunately, few students in the United States graduate. diplomas within the stipulated time. They also stated that in order for students to improve their time to degree completion, they must first understand what is preventing them from achieving this goal (Allen and Robbins, 2010). They suggested that students would perform better academically if they chose an environment that matched their interests. Another study by Dotterer, McHale, and Crouter (2009) supported this by investigating changes in adolescents' academic orientations over the high school years by measuring their interest. Their results indicate that even though students began high school with a decent level of academic orientation, they continued to decline throughout the school years. Many students struggle to transition from middle school to high school; some examples are:change of school environment, their roles as students and as peers in their environment. Students move from primary school, which is more personalized and united, to middle school and high school, which can be considered neutral and detached. Regarding their roles as students and peers, teachers' expectations change and increase during these transitions as do peers' expectations. During this time, especially in middle school, students are going through puberty, so the need to find themselves is at a higher level, so their concentration is deterred and grades start to decline. Dotterer, Mchale, and Crouter's (2009) studies showed that although there were no gender differences in academic interest level, by age 13, female students seemed more interested in their studies as students. At age 18, both men and women showed renewed interest in college, but females were still slightly higher than male students. Dotterer, McHale, and Crouter (2009) also included the idea that parents play a role in academic motivation, interest, and achievement. In their study, they examined the extent to which mother and father's interest in academic studies predicted their student's level of interest throughout childhood through adolescence and how this had a positive impact on the student. “The socialization practices of both parents and their level of education are important for the motivation and academic success of young people” (Dotterer, McHale and Crouter, 2009, p. 511). They found that when a mother had high expectations for her child, the student had higher levels of academic interest. Consistent with their hypothesis, the father's education level has an impact on the student. If the father had a high level of education, the student's academic interest showed less decline. "We found that father's education level and mother's educational expectations were significant predictors of adolescents' interest in studies." (Dotterer, McHale, & Crouter, 2009, p. 517). The roles that mothers and fathers play in the household can have different effects on a student's academic interest. Voke (2002) asserts that a child's home environment shapes the attitudes he or she may develop toward academic interests and learning as well as his or her views of competence and engagement. Many parents are aware of the challenges students face when transitioning from elementary school to middle school, high school, or even college, but some may not know how they can help their child through this difficult experience, which includes their own interest in their own life. the child's academic success. In class, students generally demonstrate attitudes that are different from those they have at home. They may be cooperative and open-minded, while others may be passive and reticent. Voke (2002) states that engaged students are those who are motivated to learn, have a good understanding of learning, and prefer not to do things for the approval of others. “Engaged students experience greater satisfaction with their school experiences, which can in turn lead to higher rates of school completion and attendance, as well as a lower incidence of passing behaviors to the act” (Voke, 2002). Nunez and Leon's (2015) research focuses on autonomy support in the classroom and how intrinsic and extrinsic motivation come into play. Nunez and Leon (2015) stated that intrinsic motivation is characterized by satisfaction, pleasure andinterest when performing an activity, while extrinsic motivation shows low levels of satisfaction and involves engaging in behaviors due to external reinforcement. They also defined autonomous motivation as voluntary engagement in the learning process, in this case on the part of the student. “Autonomy is not the same as independence because a person can be voluntarily dependent or forced to rely on or depend on others” (Nunez and Leon, 2015, p. 276). They claimed that people who had low autonomy had a lower level of autonomy. of personal choice and initiative, making their behavior respond to peer pressure or their own inner expectations. Nunez and Leon (2015) found that students would only be intrinsically motivated in an activity if they found it interesting or even challenging, but many schools do not meet these conditions. In this case, it is important that teachers and schools know how to motivate students. An important aspect that teachers should pay attention to is the importance of supporting student autonomy. This allows them to feel a form of independence and also prevents them from feeling that their ideas and their lives matter. Students are not forced to feel or act a certain way, but rather are encouraged to be themselves. Another important aspect that teachers should follow is the importance of establishing a relationship with students and ensuring that clear communication about why certain lessons or activities may have personal utility as well as recognition of negative feelings or tension. Nunez and Leon (2015) listed three basic psychological needs that, if supported by the environment, will have a positive effect and are essential for personal growth and social development. The first is autonomy and “the need for autonomy refers to the experience of will and psychological freedom and is determined by the level of external pressure when performing an action” (Nunez and Leon , 2015, p. 277). Second, there is the need for competence which suggests that people want to interact effectively with others in their environment. And the third is the need for relatedness which refers to the need or desire to feel connected with others. These psychological needs can help predict whether or not the social environment will encourage autonomous behavior. Bursztyn and Jensen (2015) stated that “adolescence is considered the period of greatest vulnerability to peer pressure, during which the desire to be popular or to fit in is felt most acutely” (Bursztyn & Jensen, 2015, p. 2). People need to feel safe with others and connected so that they can feel a sense of belonging and respect. Teenagers in particular are in the age group that is all about figuring out who they are or who they are meant to be personally and professionally, so they are the most vulnerable to peer pressure. One of the developmental tasks students face is identifying and strengthening their interests as they choose their path. Research by Harachiewicz, Durik, Barron, Linnenbrink-Garcia, and Tauer (2008) suggests that a student's achievement plays an important role in shaping their academic motivation, as they reflect on the purpose of their behavior and the reasons why he is interested. In peer groups, these realizations or thoughts about behavior may be obscured negatively or positively by peer influence. See the negative, focus on.