Any parent who has seen the slow transition in their children as they progress from primary school, through middle and into senior school knows how their attitude towards school and work changes during these years.

The passion and enthusiasm with which primary school students attack projects, completing posters and preparing speeches on the effect of plastic on our marine life, the decline in Giant Panda numbers or the impact of global warming, gradually fades.  What is happening to students?  Why do they become increasingly bored?  In recent years, research has shown that eight out of ten primary students felt ‘engaged’ or attentive, inquisitive and optimistic, falling to four out of ten by Year 9, and 3 out of 10 by Year 11.  Boredom was sighted as the main reason for this, by 50% of students, followed closely by tiredness at 42%.
A 2014 study on undergraduates by the University of Munich, showed that lack of engagement led to lower test results, which in turn led to lower engagement and a downward cycle.  A predisposition to boredom has also been associated with higher levels of anxiety, impulsiveness, loneliness and depression.  Hence, the need to engage our students.  Engagement is a prerequisite for effective learning.  We need to ensure that student achievement is not predetermined by prior performance, that we maintain the engagement often seen in primary school and that we recognise that each student has their own unique pattern of strengths and weaknesses.  If we truly believe that every student is capable of achieving, we need to move away from catering for the ‘average’ and build on that potential and adopt an approach that allows for development in the highest number of students.
Project-based approaches to learning show the highest percentage of engaged students, but this individualised approach needs to be balanced with the ability of the teacher to help support and progress with up to 30 individualised projects in one class at any one time.  It may be as simple as ensuring that students see the relevance of what they are learning at any one time and how it fits into their lives.
By the time students are entering Year 9 or above, their cognitive development is accelerating.  They are beginning to be self-aware, they find abstract thought motivating, they may be taking more interest in politics and wanting to express themselves.  However, we still run the risk of trying to engage them with an approach heavy in assessment and based around what the average student for that age should be achieving.
This is a question that is not going to go away, nor is it one that we should shy away from.  It is however, one that will, I am sure, keep educationalists and curriculum developers busy for many years.  It may be helped by reducing assessment requirements, by varying the learning experience to cater for learning styles, but essentially it will rest on allowing us to engage students and make their learning relevant and real in their lives.