Why do teachers and students (dis-)agree in judging student motivation? A lens model perspective

Background: Although teachers intuitively judge student motivation every day, little is known what information students and teachers prioritize to judge student motivation. Aim: We examined students’ and teachers’ judgments by applying the lens model, an approach explicitly developed to explain the emergence of social judgments by multiple attributes. Methods: Nineteen teachers each judged Md = 21 secondary school students’ motivation for a specific school subject on single-item scales (N = 447 students) as students did. Furthermore, subject-specific achievement goals, gender, migration background, and school grades served as cues potentially used in judging student motivation. Results: Students and teachers aligned with r =.24 (p <.001) on students’ subject-specific motivation. Linear mixed-effects models revealed that students predominantly value achievement goals for feeling motivated. Teachers overemphasized school grades, and to a lesser extent work-avoidance goals. They perceived students with a migration background as being less motivated. Discussion: Results demonstrate that different perceptions of why students are motivated can explain low agreement in judging motivation. Options how the judgments of students and teachers could be aligned are discussed.