MOTIVATION

Ingrid A. Pacao
-Discussant-
 OBJECTIVES:

1.Discuss and cite applications of the different theories of motivation and the
application in the classroom.
2. Explain the Maslow’ Hierarchy of needs.
3. Discuss the characteristics of motivation.
4. Explain the role of motivation in developing self-regulation.
 WHAT IS
MOTIVATION?
 Motivation is…
● “a process whereby a goal-directed activity is
instigated and sustained”
-Schunk, Pintrich & Meece, 2008.
● “a process of stimulating people to action to
accomplish desired goals”
- Scot
 Motivation is.…

● process that initiates, guides,

and maintains goal-oriented
behaviors. It is what causes you ● Motivation involves the
to act, whether it is getting a biological, emotional, social, and
glass of water to reduce thirst cognitive forces that activate
or reading a book to gain behavior.
knowledge. (Kendra Cherry)
 Terry Fox
A young Canadian, Terry Fox, did one of the great long-
distance runs in history (McNally, 1990). Averaging a marathon
(26.2 miles) a day for five months, he ran 3,359 miles across
most of Canada. What makes his grueling feat truly remarkable
is that Terry Fox had lost a leg to cancer before the run, so he
was running with the aid of a prosthetic limb. Terry Fox clearly
was a motivated person, but exactly what does it mean to be
motivated?
 Motivation involves the processes that energize, direct, and
sustain behavior.
Why did Terry Fox do this run? When Terry was hospitalized
with cancer, he told himself that if he survived he would do
something to help fund cancer research. Thus, the motivation for
his run was to give purpose to his life by helping other people
with cancer.
 Lance Armstrong
Lance Armstrong was an accomplished cyclist when he was
diagnosed with testicular cancer in 1996. Chances of his recovery were
estimated at less than 50 percent when he began chemotherapy.
However, Lance did recover from the cancer and set a goal of winning
the three week, 2,000-plus-mile Tour de France, the world’s premier
bicycle race and one of the great tests of human motivation in sports.
Day after day, Lance trained intensely, keeping the goal of winning the
Tour de France in mind. Lance won the Tour de France not once but
seven years in a row from 1999 through 2005.
https://www.biography.com/athlete/lance-armstrong
● As with Terry Fox’s marathon run and Lance Armstrong’s
winning of the Tour de France, motivation in the classroom
involves why students are behaving in a particular way and the
extent to which their behavior is energized, directed, and
sustained.
● If students don’t complete an assignment because they are
bored, lack of motivation is involved. If students encounter
challenges in researching and writing a paper, but persist and
overcome hurdles, motivation is involved.
● Learner’s motivation is the primary factor
influencing both performance and success in
school (Ryan, et al, 2007).
 Types
Motiv of
a tio n

1. Intrinsic Motivation
2. Extrinsic Motivation
 Types of Motivation

● Extrinsic motivations are ● Intrinsic motivations are

those that arise from those that arise from
outside of the individual within the individual, such
and often involve rewards as doing a complicated
such as trophies, money, crossword puzzle purely
social recognition, or for the personal
praise. gratification of solving a
problem.
Source: https://courses.lumenlearning.com/edpsy/chapter/theories-of-motivation/#:~:text=Cognitive%20Theories
%20of%20Motivation&text=We%20will%20examine%20several%20cognitive,in%20order%20to%20become
%20motivated.
 ● Psychologists have proposed
What different theories of motivation,
including drive theory and
exactly lies humanistic theory (such as 
behind the Maslow's hierarchy of needs).
The reality is that there are
motivations many different forces that guide
for why we and direct our motivations.
act?
PERSPECTIVES
ON MOTIVATION
Different psychological perspectives explain
motivation in different ways.
● The Behavioral Perspective

The behavioral perspective emphasizes external rewards and

punishments as keys in determining a student’s motivation.

● The Humanistic Perspective

The humanistic perspective stresses students’ capacity for personal

growth, freedom to choose their destiny, and positive qualities (such as
being sensitive to others).
● The Cognitive Perspective

According to the cognitive perspective on motivation, students’ thoughts

guide their motivation. In recent years there has been a tremendous surge of
interest in this perspective (Anderman & Dawson, 2011; Elliot & others, 2011),
focusing on such ideas as students’ internal motivation to achieve, their
attributions (perceptions about the causes of success or failure, especially the
perception that eff ort is an important factor in achievement), and their beliefs
that they can effectively control their environment. The cognitive perspective
also stresses the importance of goal setting, planning, and monitoring progress
toward a goal (Urdan, 2010)
● The Social Perspective

Are you the kind of person who is motivated to be around people a lot? Or
would you rather stay home and read a book? The need for affiliation, or
relatedness, is the motive to be securely connected with other people. This
involves establishing, maintaining, and restoring warm, close personal
relationships. Students’ need for affiliation or relatedness is reflected in their
motivation to spend time with peers, their close friendships, their attachment to
their parents, and their desire to have a positive relationship with their teachers
(Grolnick, Friendly, & Bellas, 2010; Hamm & Zhang, 2010).
Theories
of
Motivation
 MASLOW’S HIERARCHY OF
●
NEEDS
Abraham Maslow’s (1954, 1971) belief that certain basic needs must be met
before higher needs can be satisfied. According to Maslow’s hierarchy of
needs, individuals’ needs must be satisfied in this sequence:
● Physiological. Hunger, thirst, sleep
● Safety. Ensuring survival, such as protection from war and crime
● Love and belongingness. Security, affection, and attention from others
● Esteem. Feeling good about oneself
● Self-actualization. Realization of one’s potential
https://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow-needs2.webp
● Based on Maslow’s Theory, a satisfied need is not a strong
motivator, but an unsatisfied need is.
● Research proves that “unless the two lower-order needs are
basically satisfied, employees (in our teaching-learning
context) or our students will not be greatly concerned with
higher order needs. (Newstrom, 1997).
● In Maslow’s view, students must ● Self-actualization, the highest
satisfy their need for food before and most elusive of Maslow’s
they can achieve. His view needs, is the motivation to
provides an explanation of why develop one’s full potential as a
children who come from poor or human being. In Maslow’s view,
abusive homes are less likely to self-actualization is possible
achieve in school than children only after the lower needs have
whose basic needs are met. been met.
 Educational Application:
● Applications of Maslow's Hierarchy Theory to the work of the
classroom teacher are obvious. Before a student's cognitive
needs can be met, they must first fulfill their basic
physiological needs.

● For example, a tired and hungry student will find it difficult to

focus on learning. Students need to feel emotionally and
physically safe and accepted within the classroom to progress
and reach their full potential.
● Maslow suggests students must be shown that they are valued
and respected in the classroom, and the teacher should create
a supportive environment. Students with a low self-esteem
 will not progress academically at an optimum rate until their
self-esteem is strengthened.
 ATTRIBUTION
●
THEORY
Attributions are perceived causes of outcomes.
● Attribution theory states that “individuals are motivated to discover
the underlying causes of their own performance and behavior”.
● In a way, attribution theorists say, students are like intuitive
scientists, seeking to explain the cause behind what happens
(Graham & Williams, 2009; Weiner, 2010).
● When we make a mistake or ‘fail’ at something, we tend to go
through a two-step process.

● We first experience an automatic response involving internal

attribution (i.e. the error is our fault); then a conscious, slower
reaction which seeks to find an alternative external
attribution (e.g. the error is due to an external factor).
 For example,

● A secondary school student asks, “Why am I not doing well in this

class?” or, “Did I get a good grade because I studied hard or because
the teacher made up an easy test, or both?”
● The search for a cause or explanation is most likely to be initiated
when unexpected and important events end in failure, such as when
a good student gets a low grade.
 How does attribution affect
motivation?

● If your student attributes his/her success or failure to something

within him/her and therefore is within his/her control or something
unstable and, therefore, can be changed she/he is more likely to be
motivated.
● If your student traces his/her success to something outside him/her
and therefore beyond his/her control, s/he is likely to be less
motivated.
 Implication/Application:
● When dealing with students who complain about not progressing because
the subject, skill or task is too hard for them, show them – where applicable
– that the reasons why they are not improving is not intrinsic in the nature
of that subject, skill or task , but has more to do with other factors under
his/her control (e.g. the study habits, such as lack of systematic revision).
This will create cognitive dissonance and may have an impact on their
attitude, especially if they are shown strategies that may help them
improve in the problematic area(s) of their learning.
● The research by Roesch and Amirkham (1997) and their findings
could be drawn upon and discussed with your students to reinforce
the point; I often do, citing the example of famous athletes the
students admire and pointing out how they learn from their mistakes
by watching videos of themselves playing a match over and over
again or asking peers/experts for feedback in order to identify and
address their shortcomings.
 GOAL THEORY
● “Learning goals versus performance goals” (in relation to
learning)
● The goals we set for ourselves affect our level of motivation.

● Learning goal is a “desire to acquire additional knowledge or

master new skills” while a performance goal is a “desire to
look good and receive favorable judgements from others or
else look bad and receive unfavorable judgements (Ormrod,
2004).
● In order to direct ourselves in our personal, educational and
professional life we set ourselves goals. These can be:
○ Clear (so we know what to do and what not to do)
○ Challenging (so we get some stimulation)
○ Achievable (so we do not fail)
 Implication:
● Eleanor Cheung (2004), although goals provide direction, they do not
guarantee successful performance. It is not sufficient to just have a goal;
goals must be accompanied by effective study strategies and plans. The
use of individual goal setting accompanied with appropriate feedback
and teacher support is crucial in building effective motivational
approaches and self-regulatory learning strategies in enhancing
academic success. Indeed, students who set goals and develop plans to
achieve them take responsibility for their own lives (Dembo, 2000) and
that may be one goal of our education system.
Comparison of Mastery-focused and Performance-focused Classrooms

https://gyuxingtae.wordpress.com/
 Implication:
● Instead of setting goals for your students in a top-down fashion, involve them
actively in the process of learning. Moreover, help the students narrow down
the goals set as much as possible and gauge them as accurately as possible
to their existing level of competence. E.g.: instead of simply telling a student
to check his next essay more accurately next time around and give them a
lengthy error checklist, sit down with them and ask them to choose three
challenging error categories that they would like to focus on and to aim to
attain 80, 90 or even 100% accuracy in those categories in their essay due
the following week. Make sure that  the knowledge required by the learners to
prevent or fix the target errors is learnable and that the students are provided
with learning strategies which will assist them in achieving the set goals.
 DRIVE REDUCTION
THEORY
● This theory is centered on the notion that we all have needs that
we attempt to satisfy in order to reduce the tension or arousal
they cause. The internal stimuli these needs produce are our
main drives in life. There are Primary drives which refer to
basic needs (food, sleep, procreation, etc.) and Secondary
drives which refer to social identity and personal fulfillment.
● As we act on our needs we are conditioned and acquire habits
and subconscious responses.

● So, for example:

When a child needs to feel good about himself, he may
recite a poem, sing a song, perform a dance or other ‘feats’ to
his parents knowing he is going to get some recognition.
Whenever he needs recognition in other contexts, this individual
will possibly use the same tactics in order to get the same
response from any other figure of authority – including teachers.
 IMPLICATION:
● Find out what drives your students, especially the difficult ones.
Instead of approaching the problem by ‘punishing’ them, have a one-
on-one chat with them and try to discover what is that they find
fulfilling and see if you can find opportunities in your lessons for
them to enact their drives. For instance, if you have a student
passionate about drama who does not seem to enjoy language
learning, ask them to contribute their acting skills by myming
vocabulary or sentences in lessons or setting up a mini-production in
the target language.
 VALENCE-
INSTRUMENTALITY-
EXPECTANCY (VIE) THEORY
● In this paradigm, motivation refers to three factors:

○ Valence: what we think we will get out of a given

action/behaviour (what’s in it for me?)

○ Instrumentality: the belief that if I perform a specific course of

action I will succeed (clear path?)

○ Expectancy: the belief that I will be definitely able to succeed

(self-efficacy)
 Implications/Applications:

(1) make clear to students why a specific outcome is desirable

(e.g. getting an A/A* at GCSE speaking exams). Make sure you
list as many benefits as possible, especially those that most
relevant to their personal preferences, interests and life goals;
(2) provide them with a clear path to get there. This may involve showing
them a set of strategies they can use (e.g. autonomously seeking
opportunities for practice with native speakers in school) or
a clear course of action they can undertake which is within their grasp
(e.g. talk to your teacher about how to improve your essay writing;
identify with their help the two or three main issues; work out with them
some strategies to address those issues; monitor with their help through
regular feedback and meetings with them that their are working and if
they are not why; etc.).
(3) support their self-belief that that outcome can be achieved
(e.g. by mentioning to them examples of students from previous
cohorts of similar ability who did it)  and by reminding them of
similar/comparable challenges they successfully undertook in the
past. 
Characteristics/
Features of
Motivation:
● Motivation is a continuous process
● Motivation is a planned process
● Motivation is a psychological phenomenon
● Motivation varies from person to person and time to time
● An individual is motivated by positive or negative motivation
Positive motivation is based on incentives or reward. Incentive can be
monetary and non-monetary.
Negative motivation is based on penalties, calling for explanation,
threats, fear, etc. Fear of losing the job or promotion
 SELF-
REGULATION
 Self-regulation
● is the process in which students activate, take control of and evaluate their
own learning.
● Self-regulation is not the same as motivation. Although motivation and self-
regulation share some common elements, there are some critical differences.
● In motivation, choice (specifically referring to autonomy and control over
the situation) does not have to be central to the construct. Self-regulation,
however, requires some degree of choice or intentional selection of strategies
designed to help the learner achieve a goal or behavior.
 Self-regulated learners:
○ Are aware of their strengths and weaknesses

○ Utilize metacognitive strategies, for example, questioning one's

learning and monitoring one's learning, to approach academic
tasks

○ Attribute their success or failure to factors within their control

 How does self-regulation relate to
motivation?
● A student who is capable of self-regulation is more likely to be more
intrinsically motivated because he sets his goals and standards, he
monitors his progress, and evaluate his own performance.
● A student who is capable of self-regulation, is not only capable of
regulating his own behavior but he is also capable of regulating his
own learaning.
 Self-Regulation as a Process

● Self-regulation is a cyclical process. Students who are motivated to

reach a certain goal will engage in self-regulatory activities they feel
will help them achieve that goal. The self-regulation promotes
learning, which leads to a perception of greater competence, which
sustains motivation toward the goal and to future goals.
 Omrod (2004) cites the following
processes involved in self-
regulated learning:

● Goal-setting
● Planning
● Attention control
● Application of learning strategies
● Self-monitoring
● Self-evaluation
 Uses

There are many different uses for motivation.

It serves as a guiding force for all human
behavior, but understanding how it works and the
factors that may impact it can be important in a
number of ways.
 Understanding motivation can:
● Help improve the efficiency of people as they work toward goals
● Help people take action
● Encourage people to engage in health-oriented behaviors
● Help people avoid unhealthy or maladaptive behaviors such as risk-
taking and addiction
● Help people feel more in control of their lives
● Improve overall well-being and happiness
“Success is no accident. It is
hard work, perseverance,
learning, studying, sacrifice
and most of all, love of what
you are doing or learning to
do.”

—Pelé, famous Brazilian footballer itle. P5

2
Book T
(soccer) player.
Thank you!!
 References:
Kendra Cherry. What Is Motivation?Retrieved
from:
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co o,
tivate%20behavior infographic ns by Flaticon, and
s & image
Eleanor Cheung (2004). Goal Setting as s by Freep
ik.
Motivational tool in Student’s Self-
regulated Learning. Retrieved from https://
files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ792858.pdf
● Gianfranco Conti (2015).Eight ● Theories of Motivation. Retrieved from:
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