The Aspects of Motivation for Learning in School Learners' Risk Group

Children who have stopped attending school and do not have firm educational, cognition and activity motivation are disappointed about possibility to study, and the losses of learning they themselves and the society experience are long-lasting: their illiteracy makes it harder for them to participate in the society’s activities, social and economic insecurity as well as the probability to belong to socially isolated groups grow. The aim of the research was to state the reasons which weaken pupils’ motivation to study and encourage non-attendance and reluctance to learn. The object of the research was pupils of the 5th – 10th forms who belong to the risk group: 1) those who do not attend school; 2) those who attend it badly; 3) those who are unsuccessful in their studies. The following tasks were set during the research: 1) having analyzed pedagogical-psychological literature to present the concept of the motivation to study, to clarify the reasons for reluctance to learn; 2) to investigate the peculiarities of the motivation to study characteristic of the pupils of the 5th-10th forms; 3) to analyze and compare the differences in the motivation to study in these groups; 4) to compare the reasons for the reluctance to learn. Theoretical and empirical methods as well as the method of mathematical statistics were used in the investigation. The investigation was carried out together with other MA students, 667 informants were questioned. As the investigation showed, the pupils experience the greatest difficulty in studying – the study program is difficult, it is difficult to concentrate, too much homework is given, it is difficult to understand the teacher’s explanations. It is the pupils of township schools who find the studies most difficult to cope with, while the pupils in town and village schools are more successful. The pupils “see the sense in studying”, a great part of the questioned think that some lessons are not interesting and confess that they are lazy to study. The pupils of township schools find both school and lessons uninteresting and confess that they are lazy to study. The classmates do not influence the quality of studying. The boys relate to their classmates better than the girls. The girls to a greater extent than the boys associate their future with the graduation from school and the acquisition of profession. The majority of the pupils go to school because they are forced to go by their parents and teachers. The pupils of village schools, although they think highly of their friends, do not attend school because of them. The majority of the pupils spare one hour for the home assignment, are not afraid of their teachers, think that the teachers are well-wishing and treat the pupils properly.Švietimo akademijaVytauto Didžiojo universiteta