This article focuses on understanding student motivation in a classroom setting. Student motivation to learn is an acquired competence developed through general experience but stimulated most directly through modeling, communication of expectations, and direct instruction or socialization by significant others (especially parents and teachers). Brophy defines three terms critical to the paper:

Learning is information processing, sense-making, and advances in comprehension or mastery that occur during the acquisition of knowledge or skill.

Performance is the demonstration of such knowledge or skill after it has been acquired.

Motivation to learn refers to the motivation that drives later performance and also to the motivation underlying the covert processes that occur during learning.

One approach to motivation is the expectancy x value theory. This theory states that the effort people will expend on a task is a product of: (1) the degree to which they expect to be able to perform the task successfully if they apply themselves and (2) the degree to which they value participation in the task itself or the benefits that successful task completion will bring to them. Brophy also suggests that motivational strategies will not work unless the following preconditions are met: supportive environment, appropriate level of challenge/difficulty, meaningful learning objectives, and moderation/optimal use.

Several examples are given for how to increase motivation in students. Research-based principles suitable for application in classrooms: essential preconditions, motivating by maintaining success expectations, motivating by supplying extrinsic incentives, motivating by capitalizing on students' intrinsic motivation, and stimulating student motivation to learn. Exercises that help teach the principles above can be found in this article as well.

This article is a good reference for teachers to use, especially if they feel they need more information on how to motivate students. Exercises that help teach the principles above can be found in this article as well. Examples are explained in detail. This helps teachers to be able to implement this information more successfully in their classrooms.