| Education is a deeply engrained aspect of the structure of American society such that children are often in formal education settings by the time they are three years old, while informal education occurs from infancy onwards. This proposal focuses on a way to shift the educational system by adopting a new mentality around the purpose of education and implementing a more holistic educational perspective. The goal is for students to benefit from an educational experience that provides improved psychological well-being and an increased sense of intrinsic motivation regarding discovery and knowledge in the world. Motivation, specifically, intrinsic and extrinsic motivation are investigated in order to understand their current roles in education, their effects on education and students' well-being and development, and the type of shift in motivation that is necessary. Several theories of motivation and goal orientation are examined with the aim of understanding the nature of human motivation and its application to the classroom environment, The development of this proposed reform and the theories utilized to understand motivation, function under the supposition that humans operate from an organismic perspective. This implies that there is an innate desire to learn and assimilate new information as individuals grow and flourish in their environment. Finally, it is proposed that American educational environments merit a shift in structure and mentality. Consequently, a manual is provided which addresses five specific areas of change and improvement to provide children the learning environments they deserve. |
