ABSTRACT
Boys may seem ‘fine’ with being unmotivated, but that is just an act. All boys are motivated; it’s just that they don’t necessarily want to do the things adults want them to do. There is a tension between teenagers’ desire for autonomy, and adults’ need to keep them safe. What schools want for boys and what boys want for themselves do not align well. Most of the motivational strategies used by schools work for some, but also actively demotivate others. Schools using rewarded meritocracy as a core motivational strategy for pupils need to consider how they can mitigate the damage this strategy does to the attitudes of the unrewarded. We can motivate all boys by promoting mutually supportive relational cultures.
