Teachers of different subjects can effectively motivate their students using a combination of cross-subject and subject-specific methods. In this project, I met with teachers and focused on their subject-specific methods of teaching mathematics, Japanese, and English as a foreign language as a follow up to previous survey work.

Across subjects, effective teachers provided specific interactional feedback and worked to make the subject matter comprehensible to individual students. Less effective teachers often claimed that they did not have time to provide individualized feedback on learning.

In mathematics, specifically identifying ways that students struggled and providing both whole class and individual worked examples of methods for solving the mathematics helped motivate students.

In Japanese classes, teachers who appealed to individual students’ interests in the Japanese language and methods of expression helped to provide more intrinsic motivation.

In English classes, teachers who used English for comprehensible communication through gestures, interaction, and occasional games were more effective at motivating their students.

While repeated Kanji writing practice was helpful in improving students’ Japanese motivation, repeated English penmanship practice was not useful in improving motivation, suggesting that penmanship notebooks may have a negative motivational effect.

Across English and Japanese classes, students found that teachers who focus mostly on grammar and written communication were not as interesting or motivting.

In mathematics classes, teachers who gave tests with lower frequency were also likely to have less intrinsically motivated students, indicating that regular low-stakes quizzes may help students’ self-efficacy and motivation.

These findings are now being used as principles for developing a digital learning platform for providing improved student feedback.