We have all seen "that" look. It’s the glazed-over eyes of a student in the back row, the head resting on the desk, or the active avoidance of eye contact when a question is asked. As educators and leaders, our knee-jerk reaction to the unmotivated learner is often to double down on control—more rules, stricter deadlines, and tighter oversight. We try to force engagement, something I recnetly spoke about on my podcast Unpacking the Backpack.
But here is the hard truth: You cannot force a student to learn. You can force them to comply, but compliance is not learning. "Doing school" is not the same as acquiring the skills necessary to thrive in a complex world.
If we want to reach the unmotivated learner, we have to stop trying to manage their behavior and start trying to empower their minds. We must shift our focus from control to agency. This isn't just fluffy pedagogy; it is backed by rigorous science. If you are struggling to reach the disengaged, here are four research-backed strategies to shift the paradigm in your classroom or school culture.
Unleash Agency Through Choice
The quickest way to kill motivation is to strip away autonomy. When students feel they are just cogs in a machine, completing tasks because "the teacher said so," their internal drive vanishes. To spark motivation, we must hand the keys over to the learner. This doesn't mean chaos. It entails providing structured choices, such as how they learn, which tools they use, and how they demonstrate mastery. A meta-analysis by Patall, Cooper, and Robinson (2008) found that providing choices—even small ones—significantly enhances intrinsic motivation, effort, and task performance. When students feel a sense of autonomy, they persist longer and produce higher-quality work.
Stop assigning the same worksheet to every student. Offer a "choice board" where students can select between creating a podcast, writing a blog post, or building a digital model to demonstrate their understanding. We discuss an array of choice strategies in Personalize: Meeting the Needs of All Learners.
Cultivate Radical Relevance
"Why do I have to know this?"
If you cannot answer that question with something better than "because it’s on the test," you have lost them. Unmotivated learners often aren't "lazy"; they just don't see the value in the work. They crave authenticity. They want to solve real problems that matter to them and their communities. In a randomized field experiment, Hulleman and Harackiewicz (2009) discovered that when students were encouraged to connect course material to their own lives, interest and performance increased dramatically. This effect was strongest precisely for those students who previously had low expectations of success.
Ditch the hypothetical word problems. As I shared in Disruptive Thinking in Our Classrooms, leverage the Relevant Thinking Framework to connect curriculum to real-world issues. Let students use data to solve a problem in the school cafeteria or use rhetorical skills to advocate for a community change. Make the learning stick by making it real.
Focus on Competence, Not Just Grades
Nothing drains motivation faster than feeling incompetent. When a struggling learner gets a paper back covered in red ink and a "D" grade, they don't see a roadmap for improvement; they see confirmation that they aren't "smart enough." We need to shift from grading (autopsy) to feedback (biopsy). Effective feedback tells the learner where they are, where they are going, and specifically how to get there. Hattie and Timperley (2007) provided a comprehensive review showing that feedback is one of the most powerful influences on learning and achievement. However, they noted that feedback directed at the "self" (e.g., "Good job," "You are smart") is ineffective. The most motivating feedback is task-oriented and provides specific cues on how to bridge the gap between current and desired performance.
Use digital tools to give real-time, actionable feedback while the work is in progress. Focus your comments on the task, not the student.
Build a Culture of Relatedness
We must remember that learning is a social and emotional process. If a student feels invisible, they will remain unmotivated. Self-Determination Theory (SDT) posits that human beings have three innate psychological needs: Competence, Autonomy, and Relatedness. If we miss the "Relatedness" piece—the feeling of belonging and connection—the other strategies will likely fail. Ryan and Deci (2000) established that social environments that facilitate these three basic needs result in high-quality learning and well-being. Conversely, environments that are controlling or neglectful thwart these needs, leading to passivity and alienation.
Greet students at the door. Know their interests outside of school. Leverage digital tools not to isolate, but to connect—allow students to collaborate with peers globally or experts in the field.
Motivating the unmotivated isn't about finding the perfect app or the flashiest gadget. It’s about meeting the fundamental human needs of our students. It’s about moving from a culture of compliance to a culture of empowerment.
The research is clear. The question is: Are we brave enough to change our practices to match it?
Hattie, J., & Timperley, H. (2007). The power of feedback. Review of Educational Research, 77(1), 81–112.
Hulleman, C. S., & Harackiewicz, J. M. (2009). Promoting interest and performance in high school science classes. Science, 326(5958), 1410–1412.
Patall, E. A., Cooper, H., & Robinson, J. C. (2008). The effects of choice on intrinsic motivation and related outcomes: A meta-analysis of research findings. Psychological Bulletin, 134(2), 270–302.
Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being. American Psychologist, 55(1), 68–78.
