MOTIVATION

WHAT IS MOTIVATION?

Motivation is a core construct in human behaviour. Sufficiently motivated, an individual will experience physiological changes. Apparently, everything we do, from getting out of bed in the morning to answering a phone call, is motivated by something. We may be motivated by hunger, fear or the desire for self-fulfilment. As educators, we would love to have students who are intrinsically motivated, that is, who provide their own motivation for learning. We wish that students are driven by curiosity and the natural desire to know and understand the world around them. However, we know that this is often not the case.

According to Groccia (1992), motivation is that which influences the arousal, selection, direction and maintenance of all human behaviour. Students require some form of stimulus to activate, provide direction for and encourage persistence in their study and learning efforts. Motivation is this energy to study, to learn and achieve and to maintain these positive behaviours over time. Motivation is what stimulates students to acquire, transform and use knowledge.

Psychologists studying motivation have focused on five basic questions (Graham & Weiner, 1996; Pintrich, Marx, & Boyle, 1993):

1. What choices do people make about their behaviour? Why do some students, for example, focus on their homework and others watch television?
2. How long does it take to get started? Why do some students start their work right away while others procrastinate?
3. What is the intensity or level of involvement in the chosen activity? When the book is opened, is the student absorbed and focused or just going through the motions?
4. What causes a person to persist or to give up? Will the student read the entire story or just a few pages?
5. What is the individual thinking and feeling while engaged in an activity? Is the student enjoying listening to the poem, feeling competent or worrying about an upcoming test?

REFERENCE

Phillips, J.A. (2011). HMEF5043 Educational Psychology. Malaysia: Open University of Malaysia. Meteor Doc. Snd. Bhd.