Supporting Middle School Student Behavior Change Through Motivational Interviewing

Motivational interviewing (MI) is an established, research-based intervention that focuses on building intrinsic motivation to promote lasting, healthy changes in a variety of situations. In school settings, MI has been used to improve student motivation, attendance, punctuality, confidence in schoolwork, and self-determination as well as increase student academic grades. Students who exhibit challenging behaviors in schools often feel ambivalent toward change, and teachers often have a difficult time motivating them toward positive and prosocial behaviors and actions. This article describes the framework of MI and gives specific descriptions of how middle school teachers and other school personnel can use MI to help their students who are experiencing challenging behaviors due to lack of motivation increase their likelihood of school success.