Academic Achievement Motivation as a Function of Classroom Responsiveness
A government-funded educational program, the Responsive Environment Model, developed by Far West Laboratory, has several components believed to enhance motivational development. As a means of evaluating the degree to which a given classroom has implemented the techniques and procedures of the model, Far West developed the Responsive Classroom Observation Schedule. This instrument was used in five first grade classes implementing the program to determine the most responsive classroom and the least responsive classroom. The instrument, titled “Animal Crackers: A Test of Motivation to Achieve,” was individually administered to the 52 children in the two classes. Variables known to influence the measure of achievement motivation were found to be constant between the two groups. Results indicate that the children in the responsive classroom were more highly motivated than the children in the nonresponsive classroom t(50) = 3.39, p <.01.