Beyond “Try Harder”: What Really Motivates Secondary Students to Succeed in Mathematics
Updated: Aug 24
The Mathematics of Learning Series — Article 2
By José Vidot, Ed.D., M.A., B.S.
Ironclad Learning Company August 11, 2026
Parents often hear that a student could do better in mathematics if they were simply more motivated. That explanation can be frustrating because it makes motivation sound like a fixed quality: a student either has it or does not. Research paints a more encouraging picture. Motivation is shaped by a young person’s experiences, relationships, sense of competence, and reasons for doing the work (Guay, 2022). Parents, teachers, and tutors can therefore help create conditions in which stronger, more self-directed motivation develops.
Not All Motivation Is the Same
Intrinsic motivation means doing mathematics because the activity itself is interesting or satisfying. A student may enjoy finding a pattern, completing mathematical proof, or finally understanding why a procedure works. Intrinsic motivation is valuable, but expecting teenagers to enjoy every assignment is unrealistic.
Extrinsic motivation is not a single category. At its most controlled, a student works to obtain a reward, avoid punishment, or prevent disappointment. These reasons may produce short-term compliance but are less likely to sustain engagement.
Extrinsic motivation can also be autonomous. A student might not enjoy factoring polynomials but may personally recognize that algebra is important for graduation, a future career, or success in science. This is called identified motivation: the activity is not necessarily enjoyable, but the student accepts its value. Intrinsic motivation is associated with success and well-being, while identified motivation is particularly important for persistence.
A student therefore does not need to love every part of mathematics. A realistic goal is movement from “Someone is forcing me” toward “I understand why this matters, and I have chosen to work at it.”
The Three Conditions That Help Motivation Grow
Self-determination theory identifies three basic psychological needs: competence, autonomy, and relatedness.
Competence is the feeling that success is possible and that one is becoming more capable. Mathematics makes this need especially visible because new learning often depends on earlier skills. A student struggling with geometry may be hindered by fractions, equations, vocabulary, or spatial reasoning. Repeated failure can then become “evidence” that the student is not a math person.
Competence grows through appropriately challenging work, effective instruction, useful feedback, and recognizable progress. A tutor - teacher can identify missing prerequisites, divide a difficult objective into attainable steps, and show how today’s performance differs from last week’s performance.
Autonomy means experiencing some ownership and willingness—not being left alone without guidance. Autonomy is not synonymous with independence. A student can receive substantial help and still act autonomously. Meaningful choices might include deciding which problem to begin with, choosing a diagram or algebraic approach, setting a short-term goal, or explaining which part of a lesson remains confusing.
Relatedness is the feeling of being respected, supported, and connected to others. Students are more likely to take intellectual risks when mistakes do not threaten their relationship with a parent, teacher, or tutor. A calm response to an incorrect answer communicates, “You are safe here, and we can learn from this.”
These three conditions should work together for maximum results. Choice without instruction can produce frustration; instruction without choice can feel controlling. Both are less effective when a student feels judged or alone.
Mathematics Motivation Has an Emotional Side
A secondary-school study exploring the relationship between motivation and emotions in mathematics (Lu, Chen, Xu, and Kaiser, 2026) showed that expectancy, intrinsic value, and extrinsic value were interrelated, with significant differences in academic emotions across student profiles. The study included 1,999 students ages 13–15, one-third of whom were studying geometry and two-thirds algebra. Researchers identified low-, medium-, and high-motivation profiles based on students’ expectations of success and the value they assigned to mathematics. Students in the “high profile” reported the greatest curiosity and enjoyment and the least anxiety and boredom. Students in the “low profile” showed the reverse pattern (Lu et al., 2026).
Because the study was observational and conducted in one Chinese province, it does not prove that confidence and value caused those emotions (Lu et al., 2026). Still, it raises a useful question: when a teenager appears unmotivated, is the underlying experience boredom, anxiety, low confidence, low value, or some combination?
A student who avoids homework because it feels pointless needs a different response from one who avoids it because failure feels humiliating. Before concluding that a student “doesn’t care,” one should ask: “What part feels hardest?” “Does the work seem boring, confusing, or stressful?” or “What would make starting easier?” Listening first helps adults respond to the actual barrier.
Assessment Should Make Growth Visible
The formative-assessment study compared different approaches to monitoring mathematics progress. Its most useful lesson is that assessment can support motivation when it is connected to specific feedback, adaptive instruction, and students’ experience of competence (Aust, Schütze, Hochweber, and Souvignier, 2024). Students need answers to three questions: Where am I going? How am I doing? What should I do next?
A score alone rarely answers those questions. Productive feedback identifies what the student can do, the precise missing skill, and the next manageable action. Notes such as “solves two-step equations independently” can make improvement visible before it appears in a course grade.
What Parents Can Do
Ask about thinking, not just grades. Try, “What became clearer this week?” or “Show me one problem you understand better now.”
Acknowledge feelings without lowering expectations. “I understand why this is frustrating” can be followed by, “Let’s identify the first step.”
Offer limited, meaningful choices. Let the student choose when to begin within a reasonable time window, which assignment to tackle first, or whether to work independently before requesting help.
Connect mathematics to personal meaningful goals. Discuss graduation, careers, financial decisions, sports statistics, technology, or the satisfaction of becoming a stronger problem solver. Avoid pretending every worksheet has an exciting real-life application.
Praise strategies and specific progress. Replace “You’re so smart” with “You checked your diagram, found the missing relationship, and corrected your reasoning.”
Use rewards cautiously. Occasional celebrations are not inherently harmful, but payment, threats, and bargains should not become the main reason for learning. They can shift attention away from competence and personal value.
Protect the relationship. Do not turn every conversation into a report on grades. Difficulty in mathematics does not change a student’s worth.
Coordinate with the teacher or tutor. Ask whether the student receives appropriately challenging work, clear success criteria, actionable feedback, and opportunities to make meaningful choices.
The Goal: Ownership, Not Constant Enthusiasm
Successful mathematics students are not always excited about mathematics. They are increasingly able to begin difficult work, use effective strategies, request help, interpret feedback, and persist for reasons they understand and accept.
Parents cannot manufacture intrinsic motivation through pressure, and tutors cannot create it through entertainment alone. Together, however, adults can build an environment in which students experience competence, autonomy, and relatedness. When students can see that they are improving, have some ownership of the learning process, understand why the work matters, and feel supported through mistakes, mathematics success becomes more than a grade. It becomes evidence that they can direct their own learning and meet a difficult challenge.
References
Aust, L., Schütze, B., Hochweber, J., & Souvignier, E. (2024). Effects of formative assessment on intrinsic motivation in primary school mathematics instruction. European Journal of Psychology of Education, 39, 2177–2200. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10212-023-00768-4
Guay, F. (2022). Applying self-determination theory to education: Regulations types, psychological needs, and autonomy supporting behaviors. Canadian Journal of School Psychology, 37(1), 75–92. https://doi.org/10.1177/08295735211055355
Lu, X., Chen, X., Xu, D., & Kaiser, G. (2026). Secondary school students’ motivation profiles and their relations with academic emotions in mathematics. International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education, 24, Article 34. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10763-026-10660-4
José Vidot, Ed.D., founder of Ironclad Learning Company, with over 30 years of teaching and tutoring experience can be reached at ironcladlearning@icloud.com or the website www.ironcladlearning.com
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