Throughout the school year most students go through a time where all their motivation from the start of the year is gone. Students and teachers have both noticed a pattern from the beginning to the middle, and to the end of the year. From what has been seen, grades tend to drop after the first quarter which is at the end of fall. Student motivation is at an all-time high at the start, it’s a new school year, you have to do the best you can. So, what causes students loss of motivation once the second and third quarters of the year come around?
For this topic, a few different students and teachers were both asked questions about the changes they see in grades throughout the year and what could be the cause of this. There is no doubt that there are significant changes during the school year. To get behind this cause, a survey was created and given out to 5 students who all answered anonymously. The first question asked was, “Has there been any noticeable changes in your grades this semester?” where all respondents answered, “yes.” Teachers were also asked a similar question on what changes they notice in students’ grades through the year. One teacher answered, “They typically start the year strong, dip in second quarter, rebound in third quarter, and then dip again in fourth quarter.” These two responses from a teacher and students help to show the potential number of students that go through this loss of motivation every school year. When students were asked about why they believe these changes occur one student responded with, “Because later in the school year the motivation hits an all-time low.” Another student saying, “It starts to get rough or students tend to get stressed, like myself and possibly put things last minute.”
Both teachers and students notice these changes and have a few different opinions about it, “I think that students lose focus because of the holiday season. They begin to form stronger friendships and push each other into unhealthy habits (sluffing, talking instead of working, being tardy, etc.)” one teacher states. Another response from a different teacher states, “There is a bit of burnout, but I feel like the most likely reason is the excitement around the holidays.” From these statements we see that one of the biggest reasons teachers believe grades drop is from the holidays coming up, where most students can’t wait to have a break from school.
But how can that be changed to better help students stay motivated and do their best throughout the entire school year? “Don’t over work them, separate each class project into a separate day so they don’t have to worry about doing 2-4 projects at the same time,” one student states. Another common response is to make assignments and class more interactive with one student telling, “Give teachers more interactive assignments.” Another saying, “Teaching in a more fun way.” Lastly, we also see some students who believe longer breaks in between classes would help. “10-15-minute breaks in between class periods. And school starting at a far later time.” These responses help people see students’ point of view on the topic and potential changes we can make in order to better help them.
Students and teachers both notice significant changes in grades throughout the year. There can be many factors that play into grades dropping after the first quarter, with a few stated above from the viewpoints of students and teachers.