Mary's Question

Mary's Question: Does a variety of purposes or motivations help students to achieve more, or are they too much to think about for one individual?

In my experiences, I have always found clear purposes/motivations to be helpful when trying to achieve. I have to say, I have always been motivated to get good grades in class, but since I've been in college, that motivation has changed a little. Instead of trying to simply achieve an "A", I am more motivated now to learn whatever I can in my courses. In high school, I wanted to get good grades regardless of whether or not I actually took anything of value from the class. I find myself dedicating more motivation to actually learning, than simply getting a perfect score.

I think students definitely benefit from having a purpose. If a student does not understand why education is important, then they will not feel a need to do well. However, too much motivation/purpose can be overwhelming. These motivations can be mistaken for pressures. For example, instead of being motivated to get good grades, a student may feel strongly pressured to get good grades. These pressures can have a reverse effect, making students less likely to achieve.

My question is this: Do students have too many pressures placed on them? Do you think these pressures account for some of students' shortcomings?