THE CONCEPT OF MOTIVATION

 

The Concept of Motivation

Motivation is one of the techniques that a teacher should implore in order to enhance the process of learning. It is a very important aspect of learning.

Scholars have defined motivation in many ways. Santrock (2008:71), defines motivation as processes that energise, direct and sustain behaviour, furthermore, motivation is the process of instigating and sustaining goal-directed behaviour.

Woolfolk (2010: 376) defines motivation as “an internal state that arouses, directs and maintains behaviour.” Santrock (2008:414) points out that “motivation involves the processes that direct and sustain behaviour.” It is the drive that makes us do anything and we on it in our day to day lives. Motivation is that drive that causes one to concentrate on school work and another not to. It also makes some mothers to work up early in the morning while others work up late to catch up with the order of the day.

From all the above definitions, we can regard Motivation as a vehicle that drives one to achieve his or her goal. It is very difficult for learners to set goals, employ cognitive processes and then achieve the set goals if motivation is not present in their learning process.

It is important to note that learners are different and as such, they are motivated differently; one type of motivation cannot work for all learners in a classroom for instance because they vary not only in the level i.e. (how much) but also in the orientation of motivation i.e. (what type of motivation).

There are two types of motivation. These are Intrinsic and Extrinsic motivation. The two can also be looked at as different views of motivation. Intrinsic motivation is a trait centred view which implies that motivation comes from within regardless of the situation. On the other hand, extrinsic motivation is a situation centred which means the situation determines the level of motivation and also shapes one’s behaviour. However, in certain instances, there can be could or should be considered resulting from purely intrinsic or extrinsic factors and now acknowledge the potential benefits of a more balanced view that allows for a combination of the two.

INTRINSIC   MOTIVATION.

Intrinsic motivation is the internal urge that people have to accomplish a task. It is driven by an interest or enjoyment in the task itself. Intrinsically motivated people strive to achieve a goal regardless of the situation. They carry out activities for inner satisfaction and not for separable consequences.

Examples:

1.       A wife may perform all her matrimonial duties not because of what she gets in return from the husband but because of the inner love she has for her husband.

2.       A learner might get all the mathematics questions correct because she or he enjoys working with numbers.

Intrinsic motivation, therefore, exists within an individual and does not rely on external pressure. It gives learners pleasure to engage in activities and help them develop skills they think is important.

FACTORS THAT PROMOTE INTRINSIC MOTIVATION.

·         Challenge – people are best motivated when they are working towards personally meaningful goals whose attainment requires activity at a continuously optimal level of difficulty.

·         Curiosity – something in the physical environment attracts the learner’s attention or there is an optimal level of discrepancy between present knowledge and what these could be if the learner engages in some activity.

·         Control- people have a basic tendency to want to control what happens to them.

·         Fantasy – Learners use mental images of things and situations that are not actually present to stimulate their behaviour.

·         Competition – Learners feel satisfied by comparing their performance favourably with that of others.

·         Co-operation – Learners feel satisfied by helping others to achieve their goals.

·         Recognition – Learners feel satisfied when others recognise and appreciate their accomplishments.

STRENGTHS OF INTRINSIC MOTIVATION

Ø  Learners who are intrinsically motivated handle assignments or tasks more willingly.

Ø  They are eager to learn classroom materials as such are likely to achieve at high levels.

Ø  They process information in effective ways through taking part in the classroom activities thereby mastering what they learn.

WEAKNESSES OF INTRINSIC MOTIVATION

Ø  Learners who are highly intrinsically motivated become so absorbed in one thing that they tend to ignore other tasks.

EXTRINSIC MOTIVATION

Extrinsic motivation is the type of motivation that comes from the outside environment of an individual. It refers to the behaviour that is influenced by external events such as grades, points or money. People who are extrinsically motivated work hard to achieve goals common. Extrinsic motivators include money, grades, the threat of punishment, praise, a crowd cheering on an individual or team and trophies. Learners who are extrinsically motivated are compelled to do something or act in a certain way because of factors that are external to them.

Examples:

1.       A student at CfE may choose to study Economics because of the prestige that surrounds the field of study and the expected high paying jobs.

2.       A learner will work extra hard in class where their teacher awards all students who perform very well i.e. taking positions number one, two and three in terms of performance.

STRENGTHS OF EXTRINSIC MOTIVATION.

When one is extrinsically motivated, they put in their all because they are more interested in the result (reward).

WEAKNESSES OF EXTRINSIC MOTIVATION.

1.       Learners do not master what they learn because they are interested in what they earn at the end.

2.       Little or no learning is likely to take place in the absence of external motivators.

3.       The primary negative effect of using extrinsic motivation is that it tends to forestall self-regulation and scholars have warned that it runs a serious risk of diminishing intrinsic motivation.