Contemporary Heroes and Students’ Motivation for Learning

In students’ lives, education is related to inspiring role models and heroes who shape the students’ motivation, values, and choices for the future. This article looks at the results of a nationwide survey on role models and motivation for learning for Romanian students. We will analyze what the findings of this survey tell us about the influence of students’ imagination in the public education of today. We will try to find an answer to the question of whether or not students still value school learning, and how, if at all, imagination is connected with the motivation to study, learn, and develop skills for the future. We will present an analysis of major implications of our findings and provide a sketch of some of the possible avenues of development in curriculum design. Because of the various creations of the media, “street mythology” or value-empty heroes often capture the imaginations of our students, this study will briefly look at consequences and challenges for education as it is today.