While your students come to class with their own motivations for learning, you can help greatly to give them reason and excitement to apply themselves. There are many studies showing how motivation can make a huge difference in performance, and you can be a strong role model for inspiring and motivating your students. A research study by E.J. Sass showed that there are eight basic factors affecting motivation in the classroom. These factors are at work in all classrooms, no matter what the level. Your students want to feel that you are motivated yourself and that you care about their learning. Think about your own experiences during your educational career. What were the factors that stood out most in the classes where you truly felt motivated and interested in learning? These eight factors were probably there, especially the enthusiasm of your teacher. There is also another theory about motivation, called the ARCS model, which was developed by Jerome Keller. This theory points to four basic aspects of motivation. Click here if you'd like to see how to use these motivation techniques in your classroom.