The best way to get teens to learn

By John M Grohol PsyD
March 25, 2005

Getting kids interested in what they’re learning is an age-old problem that continues to plague teachers and parents. Now, researchers from the University of Leuven in Belgium report in the March/April issue of the journal Child Development, that when teenagers understand that learning helps them attain an intrinsic goal (e.g., self-development, personal health, etc.), they are more likely to become interested in the topic and grasp its conceptual aspects than if they are motivated to learn only to attain extrinsic goals (e.g., financial success, physical attractiveness, etc.).

“Many children often don’t find spontaneous interest in their study material,” notes lead researcher Maarten Vansteenkiste, a fourth-year doctoral student. So teachers and parents try to increase children’s motivation for learning in numerous ways, such as enhancing the importance and relevance of the learning. For instance, they may highlight the importance of the learning topic for meeting an intrinsic goal, such as self-development, health, or helping the community, or an extrinsic goal, such as financial success, popularity, or being more attractive.

Dr. John Grohol is the CEO and founder of Psych Central. He has been writing about online behavior, mental health and psychology issues, and the intersection of technology and psychology since 1992.