Building Motivation and Achievement in Urban Students: Insights From a Supportive Academy
Abstract
This qualitative study explored what motivates urban students in an accelerated honors high school to learn. Forty-four students in grades 9-12 responded to a single, open-ended question: “What motivates you to learn?” Using grounded theory, the findings indicated that family was the primary motivator. Intrinsic motivation increased from grades 9-10 to 11-12, was higher among females, and was positively correlated with GPA.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Education
Achievement
and Giftedness
Parental Involvement in Education
School Choice and Performance
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Journal of Urban Learning Teaching and Research
- Publication date
- 25 February 2026
- Language
- EN