Social Motivation

Social Motivation, first published in 1997, examines the essential interaction between social functioning and success at school.

In Social Motivation, first published in 1997, top researchers in educational psychology and social development demonstrate how children's school adjustment depends not only on their academic competence but also on their social skills, school related attitudes, expectations and definitions of self.How are children's social lives at school related to their motivation to achieve and how do motivational and social processes interact to explain children's adjustment at school? This volume, first published in 1990, features work by leading researchers in educational and developmental psychology and provides perspectives on how and why children tend to thrive or fail at school. The individual chapters examine the unique roles of peers and teachers in communicating and reinforcing school-related attitudes, expectations, and definitions of self. Relations of children's school adjustment to school motivation, interpersonal functioning, and social skillfulness are also explored. The developmental and social perspectives on motivation and achievement presented in this volume provide new insights into the complex processes contributing to school success.