Increasing students’ sense of ‘belongingness’ in school is critical for motivating them academically, says an Ohio State University study which surveyed more than 1,600 students over two years. The study published in the Journal of Educational Psychology (March) found that students’ motivation to learn improved in the second year. For example, the percentage of students who were self-motivated to learn rose from 8 percent in the first year to over 11 percent in the second.

One reason why there was a positive shift in terms of motivation “may be simply because they’re a year older and more developmentally mature,” says the study report. Two other factors associated with higher levels of motivation in the second year include prior academic achievement and “school belongingness”. “This may be one area where we can help students become more motivated. Belongingness is something schools can change. They can find ways to make students feel they are part of the school community,” says Kui Xie, lead author of the study and professor of educational studies at Ohio State University.