How to Build Motivation: 3 Traits of a Motivated Student

Have you ever noticed that your child’s motivation is always at its peak just before exams, only to plummet fast by school holidays?   

What’s frustrating for most parents is that jagged, saw-tooth pattern of children’s motivation when it slowly starts each new term before it builds. And this ‘stop/start’ cycle is what blocks many students from getting their best academic results.  

There are loads of books, resources and workshops out there that claim to talk about ‘motivation’. A lot of them take the easy path out and make the mistake of simplifying motivation as a ‘feeling’ and masking the underlying issue. A far more reliable approach is to conceptualise motivation as a system of processes that can keep them moving regardless of how they’re ‘subjectively feeling’ that day.   

So if being a motivated student isn’t about feelings but about building a process— what does a motivated student look like?  

How Kiernan Built Motivation for Better Marks  

Like many students, Kiernan just wasn’t inherently motivated for school. His marks were low, and he didn’t put much effort into preparing for his assignments.  

Kiernan’s parents went to tutoring to push him – hard. And he did see some success. Kiernan was able to do better in Maths but continued to struggle in his other subjects.  

Eventually, Kiernan ran out of steam. He was exhausted and needed to take a break from everything. He kept running this aggressive cycle each term. Start from zero, pushes hard until the work gets too much, have to start and then start all over again from zero… 

Kiernan lost his drive and lost confidence in himself when his efforts didn’t reflect in his exam results.   

We helped Kiernan develop a strategic plan with motivation catalysts to make it easier for him to revise and connect his effort to tangible results. 

We also created a digital plan to help him stay focused around technology and distractions, particularly when he was feeling a bit low working through bigger tasks.  

Kiernan was able to go from the bottom of his cohort to consistently scoring in the top 10% across ALL his subjects in eight and a half weeks.  

Kiernan was more confident and able to achieve much higher results because he could conserve his energy without regressing back to the motivation-sucking ‘stop/start’ cycle.  

Who is a Motivated Student? 

It’s hard to become a motivated student if you don’t know what ‘motivated student’ actually means. Before Kiernan worked with Kalibrate-Ed, his idea of a motivated and well-performing student is one who ‘pushes hard’ – in tutoring sessions and long hours of study.  

Kiernan had a very exhausting idea of motivation that led to his burnout. But being a motivated student who improves their academic results isn’t all about ‘pushing hard’ or some unreachable pedestal.   

So, what do we really mean by ‘motivated student’?   

1. No-sweat planning and time management 

What distinguishes a motivated student from a distracted one? They find it easy to plan and manage their time. They stay focused on their goals, and their priorities are clear.   

This mindset enables them to take natural steps and timings because they’re not forced to take action. They want to prepare, revise, practice and do it all over again because they know these things align with their goals.  

2. Eyes locked on the prize 

Another indicator of a motivated student is the purpose and intention behind what they do. They value reaching their goals, whether that’s a 90+ ATAR or assuring they’ve handed in their best work.   

What’s important to a motivated student is that they give 100% and that their results reflect this mindset. It doesn’t matter how many ‘reps’ they need to achieve a goal or develop a skill because they understand the necessity and value of consistency.  

3. Powered by healthy beliefs 

Motivated students are not held back by limiting beliefs, like hard work ‘doing all the work’ to get good marks. They also have a very specific set of beliefs.  

Beliefs drive actions and behaviours, especially in developing teens. If your child left something to the last minute (again), why did they push that assignment back?   

When times get tough, a motivated student is powered by strong beliefs that allow them to take a step and be resilient even in challenging times.  

If your child struggles to find their self-drive or keep their motivation strong throughout the term or school year, join us at our upcoming session on ‘Teens, Exams and Career Success’.  

We’ll discuss ways to support your child in building self-drive, staying focused around distractions and exam preparations for better ATAR.   

Click here to check out the event.