Motivation: definition, initiating and sustaining

Motivation becomes one of the most influencial factors determining the learning success. Motivation means a willingness to reach something because of dissatisfaction. According to behavioristic, motivation can be triggered by giving rewards if the students do something good as a reinforcement. On the contrary, punishment comes as the consequences for doing someting bad.

According to cognitive definitions especially the drive theory, the behavior is pushed towards the goals by driving stages within a person. The drives are exploration, manipulation, activity, stimulation, knowledge, and ego enhancement. Hierarchy of needs theory states five stages; psychological or survival needs, safety needs, social needs, esteem, and self actualization. Self-control theory states that self-control deals with human ability to minimise their beahvior to reach what they have decided before, for example, the goal is to pass a test while to study hard is the self-control.

There are two kinds of motivation; intrinsic and extrinsic. An intrinsic motivation comes from the person himself. There is a strong desire to reach the goal. The variables influencing are dissatisfaction,  necessity, dream, and curiosity. Extrinsic motivation is influenced by external factors in the environment like family, friends, teachers, and society. Many experts keep arguing which motivation is more superior. Some argue that intrinsic motivation is more superior while others are contradictory.

Commonly Found Questions

The first participant asks about how the teacher remotivates the students which deals with the teacher’s creativity in teaching methods and the use of ICT. The presenter offers some solution from Harmer’s book. That is by stimulating through their daily life in the material. Experience takes a big position in the students’ motivation. The use of ICT should be maximised as a media to convey the information.

The second question is how to remotivate the students who stops going to school because of bullying. The presenter offers reward as a trigger to motivate the students. By presenting it, hopefully the children will come back to school.

Critical Analysis

Responding to the research related to this topic from Babee (2012) that the students’ motivation in the classroom can be increased through the teacher’s motivation. It strongly relates each other. Logically, how the teacher can motivate the students if he cannot motivate himself or he has no motivation in education area. However, it is contradictory to the second finding from Rehman and Billal (2014) who state that intrinsic motivation is not necessary yet the teacher needs to build the extrinsic motivation for them. It is good if the teacher does motivate the students. However, motivation who comes from themselves will also take part. How if the teacher does not teach those students anymore? Building motivation through teaching strategy only happens inside the classroom. However, motivation does not only work in one place. The students need it outside the classrom, for example, doing the homework and implementing their knowledge.

Also, discussing about behavioristic cannot be apart from humanistic where the students are motivated or encouraged through their strength, not weakness. Some psychologist suggest to use this type to motivate the students as the early option before behavioristic and cognitive. Through behavioristic, the teacher habituates them to always do the right ones.

To answer the second question, we must firstly deal with the bullying issue. We must tell the bulliers and the other students about how bullying will negatively impact on someone’s life. We cannot directly motivate the student who get bullied as the first step. It will be useless if the other students bully him. It can be used as the second step where the teacher motivates the students through the extrinsic. Firstly, dealing the the topic of the bullying which is the student’s weaknesses. The teacher should find the strength of what the student has and tell him that weakness is not a big deal as long as he maximises what he has and fixes the weakness. Then, in the classroom, the teacher should help to create a good atmosphere supported by the students.

References

Brown, H.Douglas. 2001. Teaching by Principles. An Interactive Approach to Language Pedagogy. Englewood Cliffs:  Prentice Hall. 

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