Seeing eye to eye on student motivation: Moderators of student–teacher agreement

Abstract

Teachers informally assess student motivation daily, yet they often struggle to align with students’ self-view. This study explores the factors moderating agreement between students’ and teachers’ judgments of students’ motivation for school. A total of 5,514 secondary school students and their 212 teachers judged motivation on single-item scales. Moderator variables (gender, migration background, age, teaching experience, acquaintance, match in gender and migration background) were tested to elucidate agreement discrepancies. Overall, agreement was weak (β = .26). Teachers with a migration background seemed to have a better grip on students’ self-rated school-specific motivation than teachers without a migration background. No other moderator was significant. Regarding over- and underestimation, teachers tended to underestimate motivation of boys and students with a migration background, whereas experienced teachers rated student motivation more positively. Results demonstrated the need to further identify meaningful ways to promote student–teacher agreement—possibly by making motivational processes in education more visible. Educational relevance statement: Teachers and students often disagree on students’ motivation for school, with overall agreement being low, which was also shown in the present study. In identifying factors that help recognizing student motivation in line with students’ self-view, we found teachers’ migration background seems to be a key factor. Teachers with a migration background agreed more with their students, possibly because they can better relate to students with diverse experiences. We also found that teachers tended to underestimate the motivation of boys and students with a migration background. Practical strategies—such as open conversations about motivation and formative assessment tools—might be needed to make students’ motivational states more visible, so teachers can respond less biased in supporting learning.