DEFINITION of MOTIVATION

Motivation is defined as an internal state or condition, such as a need or desire, that activates behavior, energizes the behavior, and gives the behavior a particular direction in which to proceed. Motivation precedes action, provides the push to begin an activity, and produces the drive to keep our attention and effort focused on the desired activity (Ormrod, 2008). Motivation is the driving force that helps us achieve our goals.
The stimulus, incentive, or inducement to act or react in a certain way. Purposeful human behavior is motivated behavior, which means that either physiologic or social stimuli activate or motivate a person to do something. An example of a physiological motivation would be hunger. If a person is experiencing mild hunger, they may or may not be motivated to go find food. On the other hand, a person who is on the verge of actusl starvation is highly motivated to find food or they will die. An example of a social stimulus as a motivator would be the desire to be accepted by peers, particularly for an adolescent. The individual might participate in dangerous activities as a motivation for acceptance or approval of their peers. Teenagers experience strong feelings of stress, confusion, self-doubt, pressure to succeed, financial uncertainty, and other fears during the adolescent years(American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 2008).
Motivation can be classified as extrinsic or intrinsic, depending on the source. Extrinsic motivation exists when the motivation comes from an external source such as a parent, teacher, or law enforcement. These external motivators are generally tasks we are required to perform whether we enjoy them or not and they are frequently completed to actually avoid unpleasantness or punishment and are not performed for joy or contentment as other activities are. Examples of extrinsic motivators are traffic laws, filing taxes, and completing homework assignments. Intrinsic motivations are those which come from within ourselves and motivate us to perform tasks which we enjoy. Intrinsic motivations include working on a favorite hobby or going out with friends. These type motivations require little effort to begin and we are often reluctant to stop these activities because of the pleasure they provide.

                                                                  References

American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychology (May 2008). Accessed April 14 2011 from
     http://www.aacap.org/cs/root/facts_for_families/normal_adolescent_developement_part_i
      
Ormrod, J.E. (2008). Human Learning (5th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall

USAGE AND APPLICATIONS OF MOTIVATION

   Motivation can be used and applied in almost any situation. There is one factor that must exist in order for motivation to be effective: interest. A person must be interested in something in order to process information about a subject. Things that interest a person require their attention and effort and are more likely to be retained in long term memory. Interest can be one of two different types: situational or personal.
  Situational interest is only temporary and is focused on something in an individual's environment that is new or unusual. Situational interests will vary with gender, age, and personal experiences, but the topics of death, danger, sex, and romance, for example, appear to be sources of interest that are uniquely human (Ormrod, 2008).
  Personal interests are those things that are inately interesting to a person and may evolve into a hobby or even a career given sufficient opportunity (Smith, 1999). Researchers believe that personal interests probably stem from an individual's unique experiences. Interests and knowledge seem to have an interrelationship in that a particular interest may result in aquisition of further knowledge and, in turn, further knowledge may foster even greater knowledge (Ormrod, 2008).
  Effective motivation for an individual also includes two subjective variables: expectancy and value.
Expectancy is a person's perceived chances of success at a particular activity or their belief in whether they can accomplish a task and the degree of self-efficacy they possess. Self-efficacy is the personal belief regarding one's general abilities and varies from task to task, depending on the percieved difficulty. Value is defined as the direct or indirect benefit one expects to receive for completing a task (Ormrod,2008).

                                                              References

Ormrod, J.E. (2008). Human learning (5th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall


Smith, M.K. (1999). Learning Theory: The Encyclopedia of Informal Education. Accessed from
         www.infed.org/biblio/b-learn.htm
         
     
   
    

 
 
 

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF MOTIVATION

Surprisingly, there are advantages and disadvantages to motivation depending on whether motivation comes from outside sources,  known as extrinsic motivation, or from internal sources, termed intrinsic motivation.
 
     EXTRINSIC MOTIVATION:

Advantages:

1. Requires minimal effort on the part of the teacher or manager

2. Generally applicable to all individuals in the group

3. May consist of tangible or intangible rewards


Disadvantages:

1. Lack of effectiveness over a long-term period

2. Rewards or benefits must be steadily increased or changed to remain enticing

3. Discourages desire for learning for the sake of learning itself


 INTRINSIC MOTIVATION:

Advantages:

1. Leads to more effective long-term learning and recall

2. Is a personal experience for each individual in the group

3. Self-perpetuates further intrinsic motivation


Disadvantages:

1. Requires the instructor or leader to have personal knowledge of each individual in the group

2.Time-consuming for instructors/teachers

3.Varies for each individual

                                                           References

      
Ormrod, J.E. (2008). Human Learning (5th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall

       
 

 Wang, S. & Han, S. (2001). Six C's of Motivation. In M. Orey (Ed.),

       Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology.
     
       Retrieved from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/

       

MOTIVATION THEORIES

THEORIES OF MOTIVATION

There are several important theories of motivation. The most widely known is that of Abraham Maslow (1908-1970). Maslow's theory (seen below) proposes that humans have five different sets of needs and that each set of needs must be realized or attained before an individual can begin to work towards the fulfilment of the next set of needs. The needs are arranged in a pyramid shape beginning with the basic needs on the bottom level. Maslow believed that humans must satisfy their basic needs for food, water, air, shelter, and other physiological needs before they can devote any time or energy to the process of attaining safety, which is the next level of the pyramid. After an individual has achieved his physiological and safety needs, then he can ascend to the next level which is love and belonging. Loving others and being loved by others is a very important source of motivation for humans and may even result in a person trying to change themselves in appearance or behavior to achieve that need for belonging. This is frequently seen in adolescents who have a strong desire to "fit in" with others their age, but is not so crucial to individuals who are older (Ormrod, 2008). The next level in Maslow's heirarchy is the quest for esteem. Esteem needs are characterized by two different types: self-esteem, which is intrinsic and is how we feel about ourselves and may be low or high, and need for esteem from others, which is the desire to have other people feel good feelings about ourselves. When an individual feels positive about themselves and feels that others percieve them in a similar way, then our esteem needs have been met and we can begin to strive for the top of the hierarchy of needs: self-actualization. Self-actualization is the state where one's other needs are satisfied and therefore the person is able to devote their time and energy to higher achievements, or be all that they can be (Ormrod. 2008). An individual in the self-actualization phase of their life may devote themselves to a cause they deem worthy in a universal sense, such as saving whales or working for world peace.

    The first four needs in Maslow's Hierarchy are referred to by Maslow himself as deficiency needs meaning that they result from things people find lacking in their lives and thus must fill in order to succeed. The need for self-actualization, however, he termed as a growth need due to the fact that it is not a deficiency that must be addressed, but rather an opportunity for growth and developement whuch can be attained through desire of the individual. He estimated that < 1% of humans acheive the highest level and then almost always in their later lives (Ormrod, 2008). He loosely defined the ultimate level as the full use and exploitation of talents, capacities, potentialities, etc (Maslow, 1968).

   The ERG (Existence Relatedness and Growth) Theory was designed by Clayton Alderfer. The ERG theory is very similar to Maslow's hierarchy of needs but it only has three levels where Maslow's theory consists of five. The first level of ERG theory addresses existence, the need to stay alive and safe. We are now interested in relationships with other people and what they think of us which is termed the relatedness need. Relatedness means we feel like we belong and are important members of a group. At the highest level, growth, we seek growth and developement in emotional, creative, and spiritual avenues. In other words, we become fulfilled and are functioning at our highest level of potential (Alderfer, 1972). Though the two theories may sound alike, there are several important differences between them. Alderfer's ERG theory is not as restrictive as Maslow's in that an individual can pursue different levels at the same time where Maslow proposed that people must satisfy the requirements of each level before they can progress to the next. Also, the ERG theory allows for individual differences in the order in which people attempt the completion of the levels and ERG theory also acknowledges that sometimes people must revert to an previously fulfilled level as their circumstances and desires change (Alderfer, 1972).

                                                     References

Maslow, Abraham H.  (1968). Toward a Psychology of Being.  Van

            Nostrand, Princeton, N.J. Retrieved from http://www.abraham-mslow.com/amIndex.asp

Alderfer, C. (1972). Existence, relatedness, & growth. New York: Free Press.

IMPORTANCE OF MOTIVATION

Motivation is extremely important in our daily lives. The degree to which we are, or are not, motivated is the driving force behind everything we do from the simple act of putting our feet on the floor in the morning to the last activity of the day and everything in-between. Motivation not only determines whether we begin an activity, but also how well we perform and if we finish what we begin. As children, the majority of our extrinsic motivation came from the adults in our lives such as parents and teachers (Maslow, 1968). Now, as adults ourselves, we have to be self-motivators and, if we are teachers or managers, we must be able to motivate others.
Motivation of others can be difficult because motivation is a very individual experience for everyone. Some are motivated by rewards, some by public recognition, and others just by feeling like they have done well at a particular task. Student motivation—or the lack thereof—unquestionably plays a role in spurring academic performance. It is also very important for young students to feel like their efforts are recognized by parents, teachers, and adults in the community. The education challenges facing our country at the present are too large for only schools and educators to solve them on their own. Families and communities must also become involved in order to foster a collective sense of motivation for our nation's young learners (Ormrod, 2008).

                                                                   References

Ormrod, J.E. (2008). Human Learning (5th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson, Prentice, Hall.

Maslow, Abraham H.  (1968). Toward a Psychology of Being. Van Nostrand, Princeton, N.J.

 Retrieved from http://www.abraham-mslow.com/amIndex.asp