Some excerpts from other books on Motivation...

Quick tips from some other books I'm perusing:

• Some kids are not motivated to achieve in school because they do not value the outcomes of school, nor do they enjoy completing the homework.  To reverse underachievement that stems from an apparent lack of motivation, educators must first determine how to build task value into the student's scholastic experiences.
• Students must believe they have the skills to perform a task before they will attempt it...The term self-efficacy is the individuals' judgment of their capacity to perform specific activities.
• The way in which parents and teachers compliment students has an impact on how successful students perceive themselves.  (Read Mindset for more help on that one!)  Try "Good work!" rather than "You are so smart!"
• If a child attempts a task and fails, they may determine, after that one attempt, that they can never succeed at that task.  This logic occurs because they fail to recognize how abilities are developed.
• Biblio-therapy can be great for kids who lack motivation by reading stories about famous people who have overcome hardship.  (Also from Mindset.)
• Believe it or not, the lack of motivation may stem from the opposite problem - lack of intellectual stimulation.  This does not mean piling on MORE work.  This means finding work that is challenging and of intellectual interest to the child.