Foreword

Abstract

The papers collected in the book Motivation in education: Challenges and different perspectives in research, all written in the past two years, constitute an attempt to emphasize the significance of researching motivation in different educational contexts. The selection of these thirteen chapters was based on the desire to present a more comprehensive framework that would allow for the understanding of different individual perspectives in research on motivation in education. In spite of a certain degree of thematic dispersion, primarily stemming from authors’ personal choices and professional preferences, the papers aim to encourage the resurgence of and reflection on critical issues in research on motivation and education (education philosophy – the dominant perspective on the nature of motivation in pedagogy; the conceptualization of motivation in higher education, motivation in mathematics and science in different countries; the motivational constructs of PISA and STEM education; the link between motivation and emotion and strategies for connecting these areas; parents’ beliefs and student motivation; the learning environment and parental support; the contextualization of teacher motivation; teacher motivation and the development of the teaching profession; on motivation and boredom in class; different school practices and motivation; analyzing and reviewing published papers on motivation in journals; and more). Sharing their research results and thoughts on motivation and offering different insights and analyses, the authors showed immense dedication to this endeavor. They demonstrated their professional work in action and showcased it to actors in education as proof that it can be likened to a case study process aimed to encourage collaboration and active reflection.