Download EBC motivation essay Melissa Lettis 27/1/14 Motivation is inherent

EBC motivation essay
Melissa Lettis
27/1/14
Motivation is inherent in nearly everything we do as people. Whether are motivated
because we want to achieve an external reward as B. F. Skinner advocated (Skinner, Operant
Conditioning), or due to an inherent need for achievement as David McClelland describes as “nach” people in his presentation of three motivation styles (McClelland, Achievement Motivation
Needs Theory), often depends on the situation. The classroom can provide a varied canvas in
which to see these, and other, motivational theories visualized. While these theorists argue
towards a “one size fits all” style of motivation or learning, observations during classes
demonstrate that this is not the case, and many factors from multiple theories appear to be at
play. Even a single student or a single moment of learning can pull from several descriptions of
motivation.
Abraham Maslow presents an “Hierarchy of Needs” in his model of motivation,
advocating that the lower, most basic survival needs must be met before someone can attend
to the higher needs of learning and self-improvement (Maslow, Hierarchy of Needs). An
example of this hierarchy could be seen when an older student fell asleep during class. One of
his most basic needs, sleep, superseded the need to learn. However, to complicate the clear
idea the needs hierarchy, these classes are all voluntary. This student, although his need for
sleep had not yet been met, still was motivated to attend class, expressing either a conflict of
needs or a conflict of motivation. While he did in fact fall asleep, he clearly was motivated to
be learning.
For those students who do not fall asleep, many of the strongest moments of
motivation come directly after they understand a new concept. These moments of
understanding satisfy most of the requirements presented by Frederick Herzberg for true
motivation: personal growth, advancement, responsibility, the work, recognition, and
achievement (Herzberg, Motivational Theory). By fully comprehending a new idea in a foreign
language, the student experiences a moment of measurable personal growth and achievement.
They can clearly see the advancement they made in the work, and they are often recognized by
the teacher, and sometimes given the new responsibility of helping explain the concept to
others. This moment of strong motivation will lead to a further desire to learn new ideas in the
target language.
Doing this observation in a voluntary class also provides a colorful pallete to explore
Jerome Bruner’s emphasis on intrinsic motivation. Each student arrives at the class of their
own volition. This demonstrates an inherent motivation to learn English, and throughout the
class, most of the students maintain a high level of focus on the subject. They already had
intrinsic motivation, and when the teacher tapped their natural curiosity in the course, most
students responded with strong efforts and progress in the target language (Bruner,
Constructivist Theory). This motivation contrasts Skinner’s idea of relying solely on clear
rewards for the desired behavior (Skinner, Operant). In the lesson, the instructor used no
external rewards, and very little reinforcement besides acknowledgement that a word or a
pronunciation was correct. However, the students all maintained a high level of participation
and motivation, clearly demonstrating that Skinner’s method is not the only method for
learning.
The class also demonstrated a clear aspect of social learning and the importance of
keeping tasks within the students “Zone of Proximal Development,” or ZPD, (Vygotsky, Social
Development Theory). When a student is first presented with a new idea, they have an
interested in understanding it, but if the task is not readily accomplishable on their own, it can
be frustrating. When the students were presented with a task that they did not readily
understand, their focus seemed to wander, and they didn’t seem to find immediate motivation
to clarify the task at hand. However, when a more advanced student paired up with a lower
level student and helped explain the task and the ideas, the lower level student found
themselves in their ZPD, and instead of being overwhelmed by the task at hand, they were
challenged by it, and strove to complete it to the best of their combined abilities.
Through these observations, it is clear that no one theory of motivation or learning is
solely correct. Individual students react to different situations and stimulus in different ways.
To provide the best learning environment for the students, and the best learning environment
for the teacher as well, the instructor should understand these different types of motivation
theories and experiment with the ideas and methods which they provide. Each student is
different. Every teacher is unique. Only by combining and exploring the various possibilities
will the class reach its full potential.
Bibliography
Bruner, Jerome. Instructionaldesign.org (1990) Jerome Bruner - Constructivist theory. [online]
Available at: http://www.instructionaldesign.org/theories/constructivist.html
Herzberg, Frederick. Businessballs.com (2000) Frederick Herzberg - Motivational theory,
motivators and hygiene factors, free herzberg diagrams. [online] Available at:
http://www.businessballs.com/herzberg.htm
Maslow, Abraham. Businessballs.com (1940) Abraham Maslow - Hierarchy of needs and
diagrams of Maslow's motivational theory - pyramid diagrams of Maslow's theory.
[online] Available at: http://www.businessballs.com/maslow.htm
McClelland, David. Businessballs.com (1941) David McClelland - Achievement motivation needs
theory. [online] Available at: http://www.businessballs.com/davidmcclelland.htm
Skinner, B. F. Instructionaldesign.org (1950) B. F. Skinner - Operant conditioning. [online]
Available at: http://www.instructionaldesign.org/theories/operant-conditioning.html
Vygotsky, Lev. Instructionaldesign.org (1962) Lev Vygotsky - Social development theory.
[online] Available at: http://www.instructionaldesign.org/theories/socialdevelopment.html