The most important early model of scientific learning was Behaviorism. Previous attempts to study human conciousness used introspection as a means to understand congnitive behaviors. As a response to the subjectivity of these methods, empircists argued that only the objectively observable behaviors of humans beings could reliably be used as data. Learning was seen as forming connections between stimuli and responses, like when you jump out of the shower when you hear the toilet flush.
Much of our current educational system is still organized around behaviorist principles. We have created a system in which rewards (degrees, grades, or points) are dangled in front of students and they are confronted with the challenge of how to acquire them. When the motivation in a class derives from the rewards, rather than any intrinsic curiosity or the value of the learning, the outcome is rarely good. Many times faculty are disgusted when students ask obvious questions that show they are pursuing the rewards: "Is that going to be on the test?" But why shouldn't students approach the class that way? That's what the system rewards. Creating a different outcome requires ameliorating the negative effects of the system beyond the control of the instructor and creating an environment that both de-emphasizes external rewards and encourages intrinsic motivation.