How can I get that good grade again? Improving Pasifika student achievement in NCEA with a motivation intervention

Students who are underachieving in secondary school are likely to hold maladaptive motivation orientations that, unless changed, will have a negative impact on their future achievement. In this study 57 students from two schools with large Pasifika populations were offered supplementary teaching and learning opportunities via two different study skills programmes to improve their motivation and achievement. Participants (including 28 Pasifika students) were randomly assigned to either a traditional study skills (TS) or a motivation-enhanced study skills (MS) programme. NCEA results showed that students in the MS intervention attained more credits and showed significantly greater reduction in the negative motivation orientation uncertain control, compared to students in the TS skills programme. Students also reported that their relationships with their teachers and how their teachers communicated with them about learning was important to their motivation and achievement. Based on these findings, recommendations are made for teacher use of internally assessed NCEA standards as the context for interventions designed to enhance student motivation and achievement, in light of proposed changes to NCEA.