I wonder if it's not so much selfishness as a lack of respect, self-respect in particular. The attitude "I don't care about this class" can be hiding "I don't care what happens to me" (because no one else seems to either).

The budo comment kind of leads in that direction as well. Budo can teach a degree of respect for the other person, for oneself, for one's environment/surroundings. It also inculcates a degree of self-reliance. (I studied Aikido for 6-7 years until I lost my income and couldn't pay for dojo time.)

I've been a volunteer leader for nearly 25 years with the Boy Scouts, ages 11-18. My experience* is that kids that age can be taught some selflessness and/or self-respect. The trouble is, it takes more than just one semester or even one year. It takes several years of delivering the same message consistently and demonstrating that message yourself through your own actions. Kids pay attention to what we adults do more than we realize. If we say one thing and do another, the kids might then conclude that since we aren't consistent ourselves, what we say doesn't really matter and they can do as they please themselves.

I have heard that most of our thought processes and ideas of right/wrong and self-worth are formed by the time we reach adulthood. Additional information is still learned in adulthood, but the underlying framework into which that new info fits has already solidified and is very difficult to restructure. As was mentioned before, it would take a life-altering event for that basic framework to change.

Jim, I don't think you'll have a great deal of success making much of an impact on the unmotivated students at this point, no matter how hard you try. I think it would need to be addressed in a systematic fashion on a large scale much earlier in their academic career. Best of luck.


*Granted, I'm not dealing with kids in an urban environment or kids that 'the system' has given up on - most of the kids I deal directly with on a regular basis are from a very narrow demographic with parental/family support.