As students have to work extra hard at school to catch up on the delays caused by the public sector strike, some students may feel demotivated, but others, on the contrary, are enthusiastic about returning to class.
For schools whose teachers are represented by the Autonomous Education Federation (FAE), students have missed classes since the end of November while other establishments closed only a few days during this period.
During the holidays, children who have done stimulating activities may not be too affected by the long break. “It depends on what these young people did during the strike period. Were they stimulated by doing academic tasks like reading or academic games? If this stimulation was there, it would not be so damaging,” explains Catherine Ratelle, full professor in the department of foundations and practices in education at Laval University.
“Motivation is something dynamic, it is something that fluctuates over time and across school subjects too, so we have heterogeneity in motivational profiles,” declared Ms. Ratelle.
Young people will not work at the same intensity to catch up. But even for those for whom the task is more daunting, if the mechanisms that regulate motivation are present, they will be just as motivated by the catching up that awaits them.
“Motivation is based on the satisfaction of autonomy, competence and social belonging,” said Ms. Ratelle. Teaching practices that support these needs will generally ensure that young people will have “better quality” motivation, she added.
“They will be motivated at school if they feel that they are capable of doing the tasks, that they are capable of acting on their own will, that they are in an environment that is caring with whom they will have positive and reciprocal relationships,” she said.
For example, a young person who was bullied at school probably felt better when he was at home during the strike. He will probably not really want to go back to school, because his need for social belonging has been suppressed.
Tutoring during spring break
Last Tuesday, Minister of Education Bernard Drainville presented his catch-up plan which amounts to $300 million. He indicated that schools will be able to organize make-up activities during spring break.
Additional tutoring and free summer classes will also be offered to make up for learning delays caused by the strike. Teachers will need to identify students who need additional help and affected parents should be notified by the end of January.
Tutoring during spring break or summer school should not be presented to the child as a punishment. We can involve him in the discussion and explain what this will bring him.
“If, on the other hand, we impose it on them, we give them a signal that will make them feel incompetent and that they will lose social opportunities. It’s certain that it will undermine their motivation because it affects their needs. So everything will depend on how we are going to present it to them,” mentioned Ms. Ratelle. It would be beneficial to discuss the solutions with the student so that it is a joint decision.
One of the reasons that can demotivate a student in class is when there is an absence of meaning, that is to say we no longer know why we are doing something, explained Ms. Ratelle, who also holds the Canada Research Chair on parental practices and educational and vocational trajectories.
“Amotivation is essentially when the young person perceives that these actions do not lead to consequences, that it makes no difference whether they take action or not,” she explained.
Ms. Ratelle emphasizes that it is important to identify a young person who is “unmotivated” since there is a greater chance that they will not return to school next year.
The school dropout rate in Quebec stood at 14% for the 2019-2020 school year.
Parents can also play a role in motivating their child simply by being genuinely interested in what they are experiencing and supporting their autonomy.
It’s important to be empathetic, Ms. Ratelle advised. If, for example, our child tells us that he finds it boring to go to school, we must welcome him. “If we reject how he feels, will he be tempted next time to tell us how he feels and what he thinks? “, raised Ms. Ratelle.
Even if it comes from a good intention of the parents, it is better to listen to it rather than invalidate it. In addition, by talking, we are able to isolate pleasant moments at school.