From Fear to A New Hope: How What Teachers Say Shapes Motivation

It’s the week of the big exam.
The pressure is on. Senior leaders are watching. Parents are whispering. The stakes feel galactic.

In the staffroom, you crack under the weight of the empire of expectations. You pull down your imaginary Darth Vader mask and growl:

“I must find new ways to motivate them.”

And in that moment, like Vader himself, you give into the Dark Side: fear.
“If you fail this exam, your future is over.”
“Work harder or you’ll be left behind.”

Sound familiar? You’re not alone. Many teachers, pushed by the system, default to fear when the pressure mounts. But research shows this choice comes at a cost — to students’ motivation, engagement, and performance.

What counts as “what teachers say” before exams?

Decades of classroom research (Putwain, 2009; Wilkinson, Putwain & Mallaburn, 2020; Alqassab & León, 2024) shows that what teachers say before exams usually falls into four types:

1. Fear appeals – threats about failure.
2. Efficacy appeals – slogans about effort or ability.
3. Reassurance – calm, hopeful encouragement.
4. Nothing – silence.

Teachers often assume that fear sharpens focus or that “study hard” mantras are enough. But the evidence is clear: reassurance works best, while silence is consistently the most harmful.

Why does what teachers say matter?

Psychology explains the mechanism. Self-Determination Theory (Ryan & Deci, 2017, 2020) shows that:

• Competence support: When you say, “You’re ready for this,” students feel capable.
• Autonomy support: When you explain কেন the exam matters (“It’s your chance to show what you’ve learned”), students feel ownership.
• Engagement as the bridge: Motivation leads to performance only through engagement. The research shows a clear chain: what teachers say → intrinsic motivation → engagement → exam results (Reeve & Tseng, 2011; Putwain, Symes & Wilkinson, 2017).
• Appraisal flips the effect: Fear can sometimes be seen as a challenge, but when students see it as a threat, their motivation collapses (Putwain et al., 2021).
• Delivery counts: Tone, enthusiasm, even humour all matter. A calm, confident voice inspires. A cold growl crushes (Paulmann & Weinstein, 2023; Falcon et al., 2023).

Fear: The Dark Side

Fear might feel powerful, but it’s risky. Students who hear fear-based statements and interpret them as threats show lower motivation and worse performance (Putwain & Remedios, 2014). A few boys may perform better under pressure (Moè & Putwain, 2020), but for most, fear spikes anxiety, narrows thinking, and undermines results.

Reassurance: A New Hope

Reassuring words may seem soft. In reality, they are the Jedi move. Phrases like:

• “You’ve prepared well — you can do this.”
• “If you get stuck, breathe, then move on.”

These build hope and competence, boosting both motivation and results. Studies from Spain and the UK confirm that reassurance leads to stronger engagement and better exam performance (Wilkinson et al., 2020; Alqassab & León, 2024).

Silence: The Phantom Menace

Doing nothing isn’t neutral. Students whose teachers said nothing before exams consistently reported lower motivation, lower engagement, and lower grades (Santana-Monagas et al., 2022a,b). Even a brief phrase of encouragement beats silence.

Practical Phrases for Bangladeshi Classrooms

• ❌ “Fail this and your future is finished.”
  ✅ “This is your chance to show what you’ve learned — you’re ready.”
• ❌ “Work harder or else.”
  ✅ “Remember the strategies we practised — use them with confidence.”
• ❌ Silence.
  ✅ “I believe in the work you’ve put in — give it your best.”

চূড়ান্ত চিন্তা

Bangladeshi teachers face huge exam pressure. It’s tempting to slip into fear — the Dark Side. But the evidence is clear: what teachers say has the power to either drain or drive motivation.

Choose words of reassurance, hope, and belief. Because when students walk into an exam hall, the difference between fear and A New Hope might just be the words you choose.

📚 তথ্যসূত্র

• Alqassab, M., & León, J. (2024). Motivational messages from teachers before exams: Links to intrinsic motivation, engagement, and academic performance. Teaching and Teacher Education, 151, 104750.
• Falcon, I., et al. (2023a, 2023b). Teacher enthusiasm, emotional intensity, and student outcomes.
• Kaufmann, R., Vallade, J. I., & Frisby, B. N. (2021). Reassuring communication in education.
• Moè, A., & Putwain, D. (2020). Fear/efficacy statements and gender differences in maths performance.
• Paulmann, S., & Weinstein, C. (2023). Motivational prosody in teacher talk.
• Putwain, D. W. (2009). Fear appeals in exams.
• Putwain, D. W., & Remedios, R. (2014). Fear appeals, motivation, and performance.
• Putwain, D. W., Symes, W., & Wilkinson, I. D. (2017). Fear talk, engagement, and exam outcomes.
• Putwain, D. W., Symes, W., Nicholson, L., & Roberts, C. M. (2021). Appraisals of fear-based talk in classrooms.
• Reeve, J. (2009, 2012). Self-Determination Theory and motivating styles.
• Reeve, J., & Tseng, C. M. (2011). Engagement as a bridge between motivation and achievement.
• Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2017, 2020). Self-Determination Theory.
• Santana-Monagas, J., Núñez, J., Loro, A., Moreno-Murcia, J., & León, J. (2022a, 2022b). What teachers say in Spain and its effect on student outcomes.
• Wilkinson, I. D., Putwain, D. W., & Mallaburn, A. (2020). Observation of what teachers say before exams.