Adolescence is often characterized as a time of « storm and stress ».
Adolescence is often characterized as a time of « storm and stress ».
Young people are dealing with physical and cognitive changes and, as they move from childhood, can become increasingly distant from the adults in their lives.
In academic terms, this time of major hormonal change is also accompanied by a well-known dip in students’ motivation and engagement at school. This often coincides with students’ going to high school.
How can schools better help young people at this time? In a new four-year study we looked at the role of teaching support. We were especially interested to know if teachers’ influence on students’ motivation and engagement grows or fades across the adolescent years.
Our study involved 7,769 Year 6 New South Wales government school students who were tracked annually into Year 9. The students were part of the NSW Department of Education’s annual « Tell Them From Me » student survey.
Students were asked questions about the teaching support they received, as well as questions about their motivation and engagement. They were given a 0–4 point rating scale (strongly disagree to strongly agree).
