Self-determination theory (SDT)

Self-determination theory is a psychological theory of what motivates human behavior.

The SDT Model

SDT assumes free will (yes, that is an assumption for those of you not familiar with that realm of philosophy), but it assumes that motivation is impacted by three factors:

1. Competency

The proficiency I have for the skill required for the thing at hand directly impacts my motivation. In other words, if I speak French poorly, I will be less motivated to speak French with a waiter. Conversely, if I regularly raise my hand give correct answers … well, I’ll probably continue doing that. Think: confidence breeds competence.

2. Relevance

If I understand how Task A is related to reaching some goal or value I have, then I am much more inclined to tackle Task A. This is a challenge for many students because someone is often forcing them to do things. Our challenge, then, is to:

Identify what students really care about (their goals, their values)
Demonstrate the importance of Task A (e.g. completing homework; learning geometry) in reaching those goals. One common problem we face at Occam is getting students to take authentic practice tests. Practice exams are not a common feature of standardized test preparation in Russia (where many of our clients are), and most students don’t initially understand why it is important to take 3+ hour practice exams on Saturday at 8am. When we explain that their test scores are a reflection of their 3-hour performance at 8am on Saturday and not a reflection of their knowledgeability, this makes sense with most (never underestimate the power of delusion).

3. Autonomy

If I feel I am choosing to do something, then I am more motivated. This relates to the notion of taking ownership. Students not familiar with the US application process normally wonder why they need to complete AP exams (especially if they are unrelated to their field of study). We normally address this by:

Explaining the relevance of AP exams (they are de facto required for competitive U.S. admissions, and they can help you earn advanced credit or placement that creates flexibility for you later when choosing majors, minors, courses)
Having students participate in the AP course selection process (we allow them to make choices while giving them expert information they are not aware of: taking AP World History alongside IB History is a bit redundant; it would be better to take another course)

Using SDT with Students

Knowledge is power. Re-read the above a few times a year until it becomes automatic to think competence, autonomy and relevance (CAR is the acronym).

After you know the what, the focus becomes the how, and — as with most teaching — planning and preparation are 80% of the battle.

If you are working with individual students, plan decisions that students will get to make (autonomy), set realistic goals that are tough but reachable (competence), and know why your task/lesson/assignment is important in case you need to explain it (relevance).
If you are working with groups of students, you probably will not have time to individually address questions of relevance, but you can deliver a brief rationale. You can also speak to students with low confidence and emphasize incremental goals (like effort) rather than outcomes they might not be able to reach (a target % correct).

So let’s say, you’re either in the middle of a pickle, or despite your best planning efforts, some activity has falled flat. You might need to be a little bit of a diagnostician, but you can still use SDT to help get performance back on track: If Kiddo X is demonstrating an obvious lack of motivation, I need to figure out why:

Do I sense the kiddo can reach the goal they set for themselves? If not, there’s a competence problem.
Can the kiddo explain to me why the thing we are doing is important? If not, relevance problem.
When the above fail, I will look to increase autonomy. How can I give a student more decision-making authority without jeopardizing an assignment/task?