Även skoltrötta elever vill något med sina liv : Hur gymnasieelevers motivation påverkas i mötet med läraren

The starting point of this study is national as well as international surveys which show that the study motivation and general level of knowledge among Swedish students have decreased. The Swedish Curriculum for the Non-Compulsory School System (Lpf94) states that each student shall be given the possibility to strengthen their will and ability to learn. The teachers are expected to play an important role in the effort to increase student motivation. The opinions of the students are a valuable source when trying to understand what motivates them. The purpose of this study is to provide a more profound understanding of what students express about their motivation in the interaction with the teachers. Students that describe themselves as school tired is one important target group for increasing motivation among students. Therefore, a more specific purpose is to see what in the interaction with the teacher and the teacher’s education might affect the motivation for school work among high school students who are tired of school. Research and studies relating to motivation are presented and discussed in the theoretic chapters of this work, covering the impact of social background, students’ inner motivation and the roles of the interaction with the teacher as well as teachers’ expectations and the teaching itself. The study is conducted as an analysis of qualitative interviews with five high school students who have expressed that they are school tired. The main results show that this particular group of students appreciate teachers who are caring, encouraging and supportive. The students have a need to feel connected with the teacher, who ideally should be calm, positive and have a sense of humour in order to generate positive energy. As for the Pygmalion effect, it is significant that the students express that their first meeting with the teacher is important and that they wish the teacher to be encouraging and to show them that she or he believes in every student´s ability in order to motivate them. The study shows that a teacher should also be able to challenge the students, but not by setting the goals too high or by putting too much pressure on them. When introducing a new course the teacher should make sure the students have the ability to keep up with the pace. Teachers should also enable students to catch up if they get behind. In addition, the teacher should have empathy and be able to explain various topics in an interesting way, and finally make it clear that they are teachers because they want to and not out of necessity