Brophy synthesizes research on motivation principles that can be applied by teachers to effectively motivate students to llearn during academic activities.

The article makes an important distinction between the _trait_ of motivation to learn and the _state_ of motivation to learn. The _trait_ of motivation to learn exists when an individual values acquiring new knowledge and skills in general. The _state_ of motivation to learn exists when an individual resolves to acquire knowledge or develop a skill relating to a particular activity.

_Extrinsic motivation_ exists when the student's motivation to learn is fostered through promises of external rewards. _Intrinsic motivation_, on the other hand, is not the same as motivation to learn; it exists when an individual enjoys a particular activity for its own sake, independent of its academic benefit.

Brophy also emphasizes that a student will not learn unless two essential conditions have been fulfilled: (1) that the student has a reasonable expectation that they will succeed at a given task and (2) that the student values either participation in the task itself or the rewards that successful completion of the task will bring.

Brophy utilizes the foregoing ideas to organize 33 motivation principles into the following categories: Essential Preconditions, Maintaining Success Expectations, Supplying Extrinsic Incentives, Capitalizing on Students' Intrinsic Motivation, and Stimulating Student Motivation to Learn.

Brophy's article is loaded with practical, effective, empirically-verified advice for motivating students. It should be read and referred to often by all motivated teachers.