This article discusses student management groups (SMGs) and explains how these groups help stimulate class interaction and enhance student motivation to learn. After reviewing the concepts of motivation and immediacy, the article discusses how SMGs reduce perceived student-professor distance and encourage students to become more intrinsically motivated by participating in class governance issues. Presented next are the results of three studies. The first study examines qualitative feedback gathered from students and evaluates several benefits and drawbacks associated with using SMGs. A second study uses an experimental design to test the effects of SMGs on anticipated motivation across different class types. Finally, the third study reports feedback from professors to gauge their reactions to the SMG process. Research implications and suggestions for implementing SMGs are also discussed.
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