In Sri Lanka, a significant proportion of junior students fail to complete their education and withdraw early from secondary school. This is particularly true of students in low socioeconomic districts. This inquiry sought to investigate principal and teacher perceptions of the school-related conditions and motivating practices that contribute to early adolescents’ motivation and engagement in learning. The study used a qualitative research design. Participants were recruited using purposive sampling method, from ten government schools, representing type two schools,(Five from each Sinhala and Tamil medium), and located in Monaragala and Nuwara Eliya districts in Sri Lanka. Ten principals and ten teachers agreed to participate in semi-structured interviews. The maticanalysis was used to analyse the data and the theoretical construct of Self-determination theory (SDT) was applied to interpreting the data.