Introduction
Motivating students is a challenging task when the latter display little to no willingness or enthusiasm to engage in the learning process. When learners fail to understand the significance of acquiring specific knowledge and skills, motivating them by believing in their ability to meet set expectations is a viable solution.
The movie titled Stand and Deliver is a graphic representation of using the expectancy theory (ET) to increase motivation and engagement levels among learners and promote the active acquisition of knowledge and skills. By learning to ask themselves a question whether they were capable of solving a mathematical problem, i.e., making an effort, delivering the corresponding performance, and understanding how to evaluate the attractiveness of the outcomes, i.e., deem them as acceptable, the students in the movie developed mathematical skills in accordance with the key tenets of the ET.
Analysis
Expectancy is an essential element of the ET is addressed in the movie as the students develop the required skills and are placed in an environment where they can demonstrate them. In fact, the very first and the most famous scene of the learners interacting with the teacher can be considered the point at which expectancy starts to shine through (Brinkman et al. 136). Furthermore, the learners are encouraged actively to believe in their ability to succeed, which can be seen as the learners change from being skeptical about what the teacher says to become engaged in the learning process (Stand and Deliver).
Instrumentality, which is another important part of the theory, can be seen clearly in the movie as the students receive extensive feedback about their progress and the areas that they need to improve. Although in some of the scenes the feedback is rather subtle, the teacher’s opinion about the students and their achievements is quite transparent for the most part. As a result, the students are rewarded with praise extensively and remain aware of other opportunities that they can pursue (Leonard and Trusty 255).
The valence of the scenario mentioned above can also be traced rather easily. For instance, although skeptic at first, the students develop a rather enthusiastic attitude toward the learning process and learn to appreciate the rewards that they receive. Furthermore, the learners accept the reward as fair and gain a better understanding of why mathematical knowledge is important for their further advancement in society. The significance of choice as a crucial part of the theory is present in the movie as well; particularly, the teacher makes it quite clear to the learners that they have to make a conscious choice between ignorance and academic progress (Stand and Deliver).
Conclusion
The acquisition of the relevant skills by the students in Stand and Deliver occurred in accordance with the essential premises of the ET; particularly, the learners make an effort to meet the expectations that the teacher sets, they deliver the expected performance, and become able to look back at their learning process to evaluate their results and set further goals.
In other words, the key stages of the ET framework (the effort, performance, and attractiveness) are passed by learners in the movie. Therefore, Stand and Deliver can be viewed from the perspective of the ET framework. While one must scrutinize the movie very closely to identify some of the stages of the theory, ET is applicable to the movie in its entirety.
Works Cited
Brinkman, John, et al. Unlocking the Business Environment. Routledge, 2014.
Leonard, Edwin C. and Kelly A. Trusty. Supervision: Concepts and Practices of Management. Cengage Learning, 2015.
Stand and Deliver. Directed by Ramon Menendez, performances by Edward James Olmos, Lou Diamond Phillips, and Rosanna DeSoto, Warner Bros., 1988.