cluster fi ve
Case Studies
Early Childhood:  The Worksheets Elementary School:  Writer s Block Middle
School:  The Math Review High School:  Exam Grades
Module 15: Behavioral Theory
Outline and Learning Goals 266 A Behavioral Definition of Motivation 267 Rewarding Students
for Learning 268 Praising Students for Learning 271 When the Reward is the Activity Itself 273
Summary 276 Key Concepts 276 Case Studies: Reflect and Evaluate 276
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C L U S T E R
EARLY CHILDHOOD MIDDLE SCHOOL HIGH SCHOOL
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
motivation
Module 16: Cognitive Theories
Outline and Learning Goals 278 Congitive Theories of Motivation 279 Developmental and
Cultural Differences in Motivation 283 Applications: Enhancing Students
Motivation 288 Serious Motivational Problems 290 Summary 293 Key Concepts 293 Case
Studies: Reflect and Evaluate 294
Module 17: Self Theories
Outline and Learning Goals 296 Self-Efficacy Theory 297 Self-Worth Theory 300
Self-Determination Theory 303 Integrating the Self Theories 307 Summary 310 Key Concepts
310 Case Studies: Reflect and Evaluate 311
5
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258
Prepare:
1
As you read the case, make notes:
1. WHO are the central characters in the case? Describe
them.
2. WHAT is taking place?
3. WHERE is the case taking place? Is the environment
a factor?
4. WHEN is the case taking place? Is the timing a
factor?
Elizabeth Garvey, a second-year teacher at Fitzgerald Elementary School, enjoys teaching
kindergarten because the children are eager to learn new things and approach each new experience with
excitement. As with any kindergarten class, it is typical for some students to have trouble adjusting to the
structured, academic environment of elementary school. Elizabeth tries to balance formal instruction with
opportunities for social interaction and play. This year seems especially challenging, as she has a large
class of 21 students with diverse backgrounds. Three students are English-language learners, many
students have had no preschool experience, and there are large disparities in readiness skills among the
children.
After morning meeting, during which Elizabeth and the children
go over the date, the day s weather, the lunch count, and any special
news or events, Elizabeth begins a lesson on math concepts that
includes a game of  Numbers I Spy. After the group lesson, the
children return to their seats to complete some worksheets. Elizabeth
gives them instructions to match digits on the left side of the page to
sets of objects on the right side of the page. She shows them how to
complete the first one, drawing a line from the number 5 to the five
hats.  When you re finished, use the color key at the bottom of the
page to color the sets of objects, Elizabeth says, pointing to the
bottom of the page.
As the children begin working, Elizabeth walks around the room
to check on their progress. She notices Melissa coloring instead of
doing the worksheet.  Melissa, why haven t you started your math
sheet? whispers Elizabeth.
 I can t do it, replies Melissa, slouching in her chair.
 I know you can do it if you just try, says Elizabeth with a
reassuring smile. Melissa tends to need a little extra coaxing and
then ends up doing fine work.  I ll come back and check on you.
Melissa has been raised by her grandmother since she was one.
From the age of three, she has attended Head Start, a preschool
program for economically disadvantaged children. Her academic
skills are steadily improving, but she still lacks confidence in her
abilities.
As Elizabeth continues moving around the room, she notices
Emanuel, Kristina, and Martin at the building center playing with
Legos. She approaches the children and says,  Now is not the time
for building.
 But we re already done with our math sheets! exclaims Martin.
 I already know numbers and adding so I don t need to do baby
worksheets. My mom says I m smart at math.
 Yes, I know you three are good at doing math, Elizabeth says.
 Show me your work-sheets so I can check to see if they are correct
and neatly colored, and then you can play with the blocks while the
others finish.
Because Elizabeth needs to follow the district s curriculum, she
often lets advanced students play while others finish their work. She s
not sure whether their playing affects other students motivation,
though. She always has a few students who want to rush through
their work so they can play as well.
Early Childhood
The Worksheets
2
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EARLY CHILDHOOD MIDDLE
SCHOOL HIGH SCHOOL
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Assess:
Elizabeth walks past the next table and says,  Nice work,
Alannah and Mahiro! She then stops at Kayvon, and leans over
his shoulder saying,  The seven fish don t go with that number,
Kayvon. It s this one. Count them with me.
Tugging at her shirt is Claire. Claire is anxiously waiting for
Elizabeth to check her answers, as she does with all her work,
even art projects. Claire never wants to get anything wrong.
 Ms. Garvey, I m done with the numbers. Are they all right? I
want to color the pictures now, says Claire. Elizabeth glances at
the sheet and gives her a nod. Everyone looks like they re doing
fine, she thinks as she goes back to check on Melissa and
Kayvon.
1. How motivated do you think Melissa, Martin, Kayvon, and
Claire are to learn in this case study? What evidence
supports your point of view?
2. In your opinion, should Elizabeth allow Martin and the
others to play while they wait for other students to finish their
work? Why or why not?
3. Which student s motivation would you be concerned with most? Why?
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260
Prepare:
As you read the case, make notes:
1. WHO are the central characters in the case? Describe
them.
2. WHAT is taking place?
3. WHERE is the case taking place? Is the environment
a factor?
4. WHEN is the case taking place? Is the timing a
factor?
AY uiko Okuda is a third-grade teacher at White Eagle Elementary School who believes that
hands-on experiences are essential to students understanding and skill development. Yuiko uses many
different activities to help her students improve their writing skills. Every week, she has her students write
a letter home to their parents about what they have learned in school that week, any upcoming events
they are looking forward to, and any exciting activities they will be participating in. Most of the students
enjoy writing letters home to their parents. Every Thursday morning Yuiko uses another activity, called
 free writing, in which students are given 30 minutes to write about a given subject, such as a favorite
season or family traditions. Yuiko gives the essays a grade based on whether or not they are completed.
She displays them all on the bulletin board outside the classroom.
This Thursday morning Yuiko announces,  The topic of the day
today will be your favorite pastime during summer vacation. After
you ve completed your assignment, you may read, use the computer,
or play a board game quietly at the back of the class. James, Zara,
Ronnie, and Shanti begin chatting as they quickly take out a piece of
paper to start writing.
 I love writing! says Shanti, eagerly beginning her assignment.
 I like that we get to show the other kids in the school our writing
work, whispers Zara.  I just like to write about things I like. It s more
fun than other subjects like reading, adds James.  Plus we don t get
graded on it. James dislikes reading and would much rather be
doing math, playing sports, or using the classroom computer. But he
generally likes school and is a good student because his parents
have tried to instill in him the value of hard work and a good
education.
Carter takes out a piece of paper and a pencil, writes his name
at the top of the page, and then turns pale, quietly staring at the blank
paper. Carter is a high-achieving and popular student who turns in
letters to parents, journals, and other writing assignments that have
all been above average. But he seems to have difficulty when it
comes to the free writing activity. Lately he has asked to go to the
nurse after Yuiko announces the topic, but Yuiko has caught on to his
attempt to avoid the assignment.
Yuiko notices Carter s demeanor and asks,  What s wrong, Carter?
 I don t know what to write about, Carter replies, as he typically
says at every free-writing activity.  I want this to be the best story, but
I don t know where to start.
Yuiko sits down with Carter and begins to help him brainstorm.
 What was the most fun for you during your last summer vacation?
 I went on a sailboat for the first time! Carter replies. A smile
spreads across his face and he begins to write.
Before Yuiko returns to her desk, she walks by Mason to see
how he is doing. Mason has a learning disability in reading and
spelling and usually needs some help with writing, although he never
asks for it. She is happy to see Mason working hard.  Here s a
suggestion. Try to use more adjectives so that the story is more
descriptive, Yuiko says as she glances over his shoulder.
Writer s Block
Elementary School
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B
C
After about 15 minutes, Shanti and James place their essays on
Yuiko s desk. Shanti heads to the reading corner with a book from the
shelf, and James hurriedly walks over to the computer before anyone
else gets there. Yuiko glances over their essays and gets up.
At the reading corner, she whispers,  Great use of vocabulary in
your story, Shanti. She then goes over to the computer, kneels by
James, and sternly says,  James, your thoughts are very incomplete
and you ve forgotten about the rules of punctuation. Go back to your
seat and finish your work. I know you can do better than that.
Assess:
1. Which student do you identify with and why? In your own words, describe this student s motivation.
2. Do you think it is okay for Yuiko to allow the students to read,
use the computer, or play a board game quietly at the back of the
class after completing their assignments? What might be some
problems with this? What might be some alternatives?
3. In your opinion, is Yuiko s practice of hanging all the papers on
the bulletin board outside the classroom a good idea? Why or why
not?
EARLY CHILDHOOD MIDDLE
SCHOOL HIGH SCHOOL
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
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262
Prepare:
As you read the case, make notes:
1. WHO are the central characters in the case? Describe
them.
2. WHAT is taking place?
3. WHERE is the case taking place? Is the environment
a factor?
4. WHEN is the case taking place? Is the timing a
factor?
As the bell rings for the start of third period at Washington Middle School, Jack Pantera announces to his
eighth-grade class,  Today we ll be doing a math review for the state mastery test next week. The room
fills with groans and sighs. Jack understands the students reaction, but he also realizes the importance of
this test. Last year Washington Middle School did not meet its annual goals for math, with only 27% of the
eighth graders in the district performing at the proficiency level.
 Come on, everyone, we re going to make this fun, he explains.
 I ve assigned all of you to four-member teams. Each of you will be
given a set of problems and will first work on the problems by
yourselves. When everyone on the team is done, you will compare
answers and work together to make sure everyone understands how
to solve the problems. The first team to finish all the problems
correctly gets a prize, and . . .
 What is it?! Jeremy interrupts.
 That s a surprise, Jack replies.  Let me finish. If all teams
complete the problem set correctly by the end of the period, the
entire class will get a surprise.
Jack hopes the prize will encourage students to work together
and help each other. Some students in the class are very skilled in
math, and others either struggle with math concepts or have anxiety
about math.
While students are working in their teams, Jack moves around
the room to monitor their progress. As Jack approaches the first
team, he notices Aaron missing. Aaron had gone to sharpen pencils
and stopped to talk to Ben.  Aaron, this isn t time for socializing. You
should be helping your team. I see you haven t even started the
problems yet, says Jack, a bit exasperated. Aaron appears to lack a
strong work ethic, although he gets good grades.
 Team Two looks like a contender for the first prize. Everyone s
working hard! Jack announces. He stops at the next team because
he notices Sam erasing all her answers.  Sam, what are you doing?
he asks.
 I m no good at math. All my answers are wrong, she replies,
holding back tears.  How do you know they re wrong? Sam, you just
need a little confidence in yourself, says Jack, a bit perplexed.  You
get As on all your homework assignments and got a B on the
midterm exam. I d say you re doing fine, Jack says, trying to be
reassuring.
 That s just it. I think I know the stuff. But when it comes time for
an exam or a competition like this, I go blank! I must not be smart at
math, Sam sighs.
 Math is about working hard and practicing. Just try a little harder
and I m sure it will pay off, says Jack.
 But Aaron doesn t try at all and he gets As, Sam retorts.
Knowing that he has to check on the other groups, Jack
discourages Sam from comparing herself to other students, asks her
to finish the problems, and suggests that they talk further after class.
Jack overhears some arguing and heads over to Team Five to
check out the disturbance.  Hurry up, you guys! I want to win this
prize, Jeremy shouts to Gabriel and Rachel.
 I want to be sure I understand how to do the problems myself
before we all go over them. It s not all about the stupid prize, you
know! Rachel replies.
Middle School
The Math Review
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B
+
EARLY CHILDHOOD MIDDLE
SCHOOL HIGH SCHOOL
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
 Rachel s right, says Jack, looking over Jeremy s shoulder.
 Jeremy, you used all the correct procedures. But you should
double-check your work. You made simple computation errors on
three of the problems. Slow down and concentrate on what you re
doing.
Jack looks around at all the students and musters a serious tone.
 I want to see everyone working together.
 We re all done, announces Renee from Team Four, with her
hand raised. Jack goes over to check the team s answers.
 We have a winner! Jack announces.  The remaining
teams should keep working. We have 15 minutes left, and we
can still get the class prize.
1. In your opinion, was it a good idea for Jack to encourage his
students to do math problems by making it into a friendly
competition? Why or why not?
2. In your opinion, how effective was Jack in motivating Sam? What would you have done differently?
3. What experiences have you had with state-wide or district-wide
testing? How did these experiences affect your own motivation?
Assess:
%
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264
Prepare:
As you read the case, make notes:
1. WHO are the central characters in the case? Describe
them.
2. WHAT is taking place?
3. WHERE is the case taking place? Is the environment
a factor?
4. WHEN is the case taking place? Is the timing a
factor?
I t s Monday morning at Davis High School, which is located in a large metropolitan city and boasts
a variety of programs such as Advanced Placement (AP) classes, vocational/technical, and the arts.
Today, Curtis Womack, a first-year teacher, is handing back exams in his classes. As the bell rings for his
second-period sophomore general science class, Curtis begins distributing the exams and says,  Class,
I m very disappointed that the highest grade was a C+. But I must say that I m not very surprised. Many of
you turned in exams after only 20 minutes. With 25 multiple-choice questions and one essay, that meant
you weren t putting a lot of effort into answering the questions. I don t know what s going on. Can you help
me with this?
 A C+ sounds pretty good, Reggie says with a sly smile.
 Yeah, pretty good for not studying, Tamika adds.  I mean we
can drop the lowest grade we get, and we can even do an
extra-credit project at the end of the marking period.  But those
options are supposed to help you get the best grade you can, replies
Curtis,  not make it easy for you to get out of work.
 Mr. Womack, I m not trying to get out of work, Carla explains.  I
just want to focus on my other classes, ones that are more important
to my arts program, no offense!
 Yeah, why do we need to know this stuff anyway? adds
Reggie.  It s not like we re going to be engineers or scientists, or
something.
Curtis s concern over his students motivation is apparent. He
spends almost half the period discussing their aspirations, motivation,
and work habits. He is eager to understand their perspectives on
school and ways to motivate them. But the day s schedule leaves him
little time to think about it further. The bell rings, signaling the end of
the period, and he begins gathering another set of exams to hand
back to his next class, AP physics.
 Good morning, everyone. I have exams ready to hand back,
Curtis announces. The classroom fills with groans and sighs.
 Not to worry, says Curtis,  the scores were actually quite good.
The highest grade was an A , congratulations to Madelyn and the
lowest grade was a C . There s definitely room for improvement, but
you all are doing fine.
As Curtis continues distributing the exams, Nicholas leans over
to his longtime friend Chelsea and whispers,  What d you get?
Chelsea hesitates.  C+. I can t believe it. I ve never gotten a C in
my life, she admits.  What d you get?
 I got a C+ too, he says.  I guess we ll have to study harder next
time if we want to get a good grade.
 That s just it. We ve always gotten As and hardly ever studied,
says Chelsea. She doesn t tell her best friend that she did study and
wondered whether he did too.
After class, Chelsea approaches Curtis about her grade.  Mr.
Womack, I m not sure what to do. I studied for the exam and am not
happy with my grade. I think I want to drop AP physics and take
another science class, Chelsea says.
 I wouldn t make such a drastic decision based on one test
score, Chelsea. I m sure you ll improve next time. Maybe you just
need to study more, replies Curtis.  Tell me, why did you choose AP
physics in the first place?
High School
Exam Grades
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EARLY CHILDHOOD MIDDLE
SCHOOL HIGH SCHOOL
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Assess:
 Because I like math and science, and my dad s an engineer, and
ever since I can remember I ve wanted to be an engineer too. I figured
AP physics might be a good preparation for an engineering major in
college.
 So you want to give up your dream? Curtis persists.
 No, uh, I don t know. I know I don t want to fail or hurt my GPA.
That will hurt my chances of getting into a good college. That is, if I
even want to choose engineering. I must not be as good at science as
I thought. I was always the  smart kid in the class. Getting a C+ must
mean I m stupid compared to the other kids.
 No, I wouldn t say that at all, says Curtis in a reassuring tone.  I
say sleep on this and let s talk more tomorrow.
1. Which student do you identify with in terms of motivation? Why?
2. What recommendations would you give to Curtis for dealing
with Chelsea? For dealing with students in general science?
3. Do you think it was a good idea for Curtis to announce who
received the highest grade in the AP physics class? Why or why
not?
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