What Underachieving Middle School Students Believe Motivates them to Learn

Chapter 1: The Challenge to Educate Everyone Chapter 2: A Review of Literature      Causes      Factors to Help      Summary Chapter 3: Methods Chapter 4: The Results Chapter 5: Discussion References Appendixes Biography

Chapter II: A Review of the Literature The psychological concepts of motivation and underachievement, and their relationship to each other within the context of middle level education, are the principal concerns of this study. The amount of theoretical and experimental literature on these concepts is overwhelming; this review will cover these areas only partially, concentrating on two domains pertinent to this study: an overview of underachieving students, and a synthesis of factors that positively impact motivation and achievement. Where appropriate, findings from the pilot study have been integrated into this literature review.

Web site created by Mike Muir Send questions or comments to wilder@somtel.com Last updated April 25, 2001

Mike Muir Assistant Professor of Education University of Maine at Farmington 104 Main Street Farmington, ME 04938 207.778.7179 wilder@somtel.com http://violet.umf.maine.edu/~mmuir