This motivational model is not a panacea for addressing the complexities of the challenges facing the South African education landscape. Aspirations, expectations and motivation will have to go hand in hand with tangible factors, such as teacher quality, to make any concrete difference. However, the recorded strength of these factors, as well as the cases mentioned above, suggests the need to pay much greater attention to this dimension. As South Africa continues to battle with its poor quality of education and the dire need for capable graduates to help propel its economy forward, the question remains: can we afford not to investigate and invest in this potential tool? More importantly, could South Africa‘s high investment in education (5% of GDP) and lack of discernible return possibly be the result of an overemphasis on tangible resources and inadequate attention to intangible factors, such as motivation and growth mindset?