When we started learning chapter 8, all about motivation, I immediately thought about my motivation, or lack there of to do homework, especially this year. Tonight, as usual, I was surfing around the internet trying to find an interesting topic for my psych blog, and there it was, why are teens so unmotivated to do homework?
Don't get me wrong, there are many teens out there who do their homework without any motivation issue, maybe because they are scared of failure, or don't want their parents to yell at them. But, I think that more than those teens, there are the teens that are unmotivated to do homework. I found this interesting article online in which child behaviorist psychologist explained that it's not that teens aren't motivated at all, they are just motivated to do things that they are interested in and find joy in. They are more motivated to do what they want, and not what they are told to do.
Many teens, including all of us, probably agree that we have higher priorities right now in life besides sitting at home every night spending countless hours on homework and information that we probably won't remember 3 years from now. I know that since I was just elected to serve on regional board of my BBYO region, I don't want to do homework more than ever because BBYO is something that I enjoy doing and homework is most definitely not.
There are also many reasons around the home that teens are not motivated to do their homework. One of the most prominent ones is parents nagging them to do homework. The more someone tells you to do something that you don't want to do, the least likely it is to get done. According to the article, clinical psychologist, Anthony E. Wolf, says that it is better to negotiate then nag. If a parent makes the teen understand that they will stop bugging them, but they still expect the homework to get done, that is another stress weight lifted off the teen's shoulders. That can even include giving incentives whether they were positive or negative.
The last thing that the article explains is that some of the lack of motivation stems from need for control. When a teen is told what to do, they don't do it purposely to annoy the adult. The article suggests that giving teens choices and making them realize what it mean to succeed in life is the best route to go to get the motivation going.
I hope you have found this blog helpful in learning about you lack of motivation. And remember, do your homework, kids!
http://everydaylife.globalpost.com/causes-teens-not-homework-7807.html
I dig this post Sophie! You excellently articulated the utter lack of motivation to do homework that many people feel. As you also added in, some teens, like me, are only motivated to do homework out of fear of failing. I completely agree that teens like to do what they want and not what they're told. It seems more likely that you'd rebel or stop doing something when you're told that you have to do it- it just doesn't seem as fun anymore.
ReplyDeleteSophie, thanks for articulating what I know we all feel. If I recall correctly, homework used to be fun, or at least not such a menace. About what you said above, that teens don't do their homework because they feel a need for control, I personally have to disagree with that. While I understand that some children do intentionally ignore/not do their homework to make adults angry, I have found that doing my homework (or at least learning in general) helps me feel in control. As they say, "Knowledge is power." Now, if only we could find a way to make homework fun again...
ReplyDeleteMy parents aren't the type to nag me until I do my homework. They're not the type to check Renweb to make sure I'm on top of all my work. In fact, they never even ask me if I've done all my homework for the night. And nevertheless, I have zero motivation. The last week was particularly difficult for some reason. I hopped on my computer at 7:30 and found myself browsing Buzzfeed at 10:47 having accomplished absolutely nothing. The other day I even went up to my mom and said, "Please be the type of parent that tells me I can't hang out with my friends this weekend if I don't finish my work." Your article would suggest that such a tactic would actually make it less likely that I'd do my homework, but perhaps I need to try it out for myself because at this rate I'll be making up my AP Psychology work at age 67.
ReplyDeleteI'm like Lily- my parents never bother and never have bothered me about my homework. I could be failing right now and, if I didn't say anything, they probably wouldn't know. I guess that's just because they trust me (as I hope they do). Anyways, I can tell you that right now I am completely not motivated to do any of my homework. Major senioritus. I could probably get away with not doing my homework and take tests and still pass. That's all I really need for this end of the year. Yet, for some reason, even though I don't really care about the grades or the homework, I'm still going to do my work. I don't know why? Optimum level of arousal? I don't know..
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