And experts say those numbers may be on the rise. But holding schools accountable for what students learn and spurring motivation aren't necessarily conflicting goals, say policymakers and even some motivation researchers. Indeed, a tenet of the standards movement is that once standards are set, schools have much leeway in how best to teach to them. Views of Intelligence Standardized tests may be fine as long as they don't give students the message that the tests somehow measure their intelligence, says Carol Dweck, a Columbia University psychologist and a pioneer in the field of motivation research. Because whether or not students embrace or shy away from an academic challenge, Ms. Dweck contends, has everything to do with how they view intelligence.
Some kids think of intelligence as a fixed trait.
On the other hand, students who view academic achievement as a product of hard work are less likely to hold themselves back. And students can be taught one view or the other. Don't judge a child as smart or dumb based on whether they reach the standards at a given moment. In a 1994 meta-analysis, Judy Cameron and David Pierce, both researchers at the University of Alberta in Canada, reviewed hundreds of studies on motivation. They concluded that rewards were harmful only when they were not linked to a student's performance.