Academic advisors need to understand that some students may lack confidence (self-efficacy) or the skills necessary for academic success. Students may also struggle withcompeting motivations, wavering between multiple courses of action, each with perceived costs and benefits. It is important to acknowledge, then, that perception is not reality; it is judgment based on one’s interpretation of external events. Labeling students unmotivated amplifies these negative perceptions when, as academic advisors, we should be highlighting students’ positive intentions.
Eliciting self-motivating statements is achieved by the following techniques:
- Open Questions – Directly ask for statements of desire, ability, reason, or need (e.g. what reasons do you have for, what do you hope to achieve by earning a college degree? What keeps you going?)
- Elaboration – Get details to reinforce DARN statements (e.g. How so?, Tell me more about X, give me an example of X)
- Querying Extremes – Request the extremes of concerns (e.g. What is the best thing about… or what is most important about…)
- Looking Back – Invite students to discuss past successes or missed opportunities (e.g. Tell me about a time you handled this issue successfully, What has prevented you from receiving promotions in the past?)
- Looking Forward – Encourage students to think about the future (e.g. Talk to me about how your life will be different with a degree?, What effect do you think having a degree will have on future employment opportunities?)
- Exploring Goals and Values – Inquire about how a degree is connected to values or goals (e.g. What goals are you hoping to achieve with a college degree? What does your degree mean to you?)
- Selective Attention – Selectively attend to DARN statements and ignore other statements (e.g. I hear you saying that you want to drop out but talk to me about the part of you that still wants a degree)
- Reflect Feeling – Being emotionally invested is crucial for persistence; strategically reflect emotion to reinforce motivation to persist (e.g. I get the sense that part of you is disappointed because you really do want your degree, you seem so proud when you talk about pursuing your degree)
- What If – Evoke new possibilities by asking what if questions (e.g. What if you were able to improve your writing/research/time management skills so that you could improve your grades? What do you think about that?)
- Combinations – Combine multiple techniques in one (e.g. What if this was the most difficult time…and a year from now you look back on how you successfully overcame this challenging time by persevering? How would you feel about yourself?
