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Title
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Creating Intrinsic Motivation Through Joy: Facilitating Positivity and Happiness in the Band Room
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Creator
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Neil Teller
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Degree Name
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Master of Arts in Teaching (initial licensure)
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Project Type
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action_research_project
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Date
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6/13/2026
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Abstract
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This research explores the idea that creating an inclusive classroom built on joy can inspire students to create their own intrinsic motivation. This research provides evidence to the statement that students that feel more accepted and welcome in the community of the band room will be more excited to come to class and participate everyday. This research was conducted in an intermediate seventh grade band classroom in a suburban middle school in Oregon. I utilized techniques of call and response, consistent positive encouragement and affirmations, use of humor, and opportunities for student agency in this research study. The most important finding of this study was that students reacted positively to the use of daily humor at the beginning of every lesson that allowed them to share, and possibly lead, a moment of levity with their peers. This use of levity helped to build trust and a sense of community with the students which allowed my instruction to be more impactful.
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Keywords
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Joy in the classroom
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student engagement
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positive encouragement
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Committee Member
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Amy Bowden
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Evan Macwilliams
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Rights
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Western Oregon University Library has determined, as of 07/27/2026, this item is in copyright, which is held by the author. Users may use the item in accordance with copyright limitations and exceptions, including fair use. For other uses, please ask permission from the author.
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https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en
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Language
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eng
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Type
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text
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Image;StillImage
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data
