Pilot questions

I've tried out some of my survey questions on a few of my (16+) Saturday students, as they will not be involved in my inquiry I thought it the best way to test out a few of the questions I will be using. (I was careful to inform the student of the nature of these questions and their intended use)


What do you find motivates you during class?

I feel I have a lot of personal motivation however the teachers encourage us not to say CAN'T which also gives us the motivation to achieve.

Student 1

I find it motivating in lessons when teachers set goals for that current class which i can try my best to achieve. It is also really nice when they give individual goals/feedback because it makes you feel like they have your back and pushes you more to get better to prove them right

Student 2

What do you think affects your motivation?

If I can do something it makes me really frustrated leading to me just to defeat and give up on myself

Student 1

i think the mood of the teacher as well as the mood of the students affects motivation. if the atmosphere is tense or down then others feel awkward about trying hard so not to stand out. I think lack of goals affects motivation - if there are no shows, exams, presentations etc to work towards the class feels like there is nothing to move forward towards. With an end point in sight it can motivate us to work our hardest to be our best for performances etc

Student 2

Do you set yourself goals? Are they short or long term?

Especially in Tap I set myself goals when I can't do a specific step or phrase. They are short term for an exam however, they help me with long term allowing me to advance the steps and perform them with confidence.

Student 1

 I set both long and short term. Long term for myself to work on each week and in my own time such as flexibility and being toned. As this is personal to me i set a goal and work on it myself. I set goals in my head during individual exercises during class - eg, next time i will nail the double turn and kick on the correct count. Then once that is achieved i will set myself a further goal to compete with a fellow student - eg i will kick as high as her and turn as fast as him.

Student 2

Do you think there is anything your teachers could do to help with your levels of motivation?

I feel the teachers have done a lot for my confidence and motivation. I don't really know how they could improve.

Student 1

My teacher helps my motivation by being encouraging. The feedback she gives is honest yet constructive. This works with me because i am open to criticism however other people may not react the same. Sometimes a big challenge that seems impossible is good motivation eg. doing moves from famous dances or that the professionals do. It is also nice when we have a relaxed class with nice conversation when we get to know each other and can empathise more with each other. this then motivates us a group to do well for our teacher.

Student 2

Do you think there is anything your fellow students could do to help with your motivation levels?

Just them sharing their ideas of how they remember steps and sequences. Being able to give peer assessments and just having fun

Student 1

If my fellow students left their worries about everyday life at the door it would help with the class atmosphere and overall motivation. When a big personality is moody and sad the whole class motivation drops as the general feel of the class revolves around them. If they left it at the door and focussed more on dance we would all enjoy ourselves. Sometimes parents of students dont understand how important it is during a class for everyone to be fully functioning and how hard it is for the teacher as well as the students to keep things going.

Student 2

I found these pilot questions quite enlightening, although I wish to look into all aspects of motivation I would like to take some time to investigate the students ability to motivate themselves. I was surprised that both students stated that it was the teacher that motivated them during class, so what motivates them out of class when the teacher is not present. This pilot has also made me consider what benefits I might gain from interviews with teachers, I had considered this in my early stages of planning but then decided against it as I was going to concentrate on the students thoughts of motivation but as teachers seem to potentially have a big affect on students motivation I would be interested to hear their views. I also think I need to reword some of my questions to ensure I get the best answer, the question re what teachers could do to help with students motivation I feel needs adapting or separating into a few smaller questions maybe asking what teachers have done that has motivated students would be a better question.