Motivation

1. Motivation The willingness to expend a certain amount of effort to achieve a particular goal

2. Motivation & Engagement • Engagement Behavior • Attention • Effort • Participation • Perserverance • Engagement Affect • Interest • Enjoyment • Engagement Cognition • Looks for a challenge • Investment in activity

3. Behavioral Views of Motivation • B. F. Skinner • Programmed Instruction • The student is reinforced for every correct response (the computer applauds!) • This motivates the student to go to the next frame • The student works through the program until the desired terminal behavior is shaped

4. Behavioral Views of Motivation • REINFORCE DESIRED BEHAVIOR • Students are motivated to complete a task by being promised a reward • Praise • Grade • Token to be exchanged for a desired object • the privilege of engaging in a self-selected activity

5. Social Behavioral TheoryAlbert Bandura • We learn appropriate behavior in a social setting • Observation • Identification • We work for a teacher we respect • Imitation • An older sibling gets good grades, so we try to get good grades also • Vicarious Reinforcement • A classmate is rewarded for a behavior, so we practice the same behavior, hoping for a reward

6. Limitations of Behavioral View • Rewards are extrinsic • Learner engages in an activity to earn a reward that is not inherently related to the activity • Intrinsic Motivation • Learner engages in an activity because it produces inherently positive consequences such as becoming more • knowledgeable • competent • independent

7. Dangers of Extrinsic Motivation • Changes in behavior are likely to be temporary • When the extrinsic reward is obtained, the student reverts to earlier behavior • Students develop a materialistic attitude toward learning • “What tangible reward will I get if I agree to learn this?” • The “Undermining Effect” • rewards undermine intrinsic desire to learn

8. Minimizing the “Undermining Effect” • Avoid indiscriminate use of rewards • Give rewards based upon a predetermined standard of excellence • Give rewards when the task is challenging • First prize at a science fair may cause a student to maintain a strong interest in science • Avoid rewards for activities in which there exists a natural interest

9. Cognitive Views of Motivation • Humans are naturally motivated to learn because they strive for equilibrium • This is achieved by: • Assimilating a new experience by relating it to an existing scheme • Accomodation of an existing scheme if the experience is too different to be assimilated

10. Cognitive Views of MotivationAchievement Theory • Adkinson- • Partly innate - partly based upon experience • Individuals with a High Need for Achievement • have a strong expectation for success • low fear of failure • anticipate the feeling of pride in accomplishment

11. Cognitive Views of Motivation • High Need Achievers • seek moderately challenging tasks that offer a balance between challenge and expected success • Low Need Achievers • avoid challenging tasks because their fear of failure outweighs their expectation of success • choose either easy tasks because the probability of success is high or very difficult tasks because there is no shame in failing

12. Attribution Theory • When asked, learners attribute success or failure to four factors • Lack of Ability “I have a poor head for numbers” • Lack of Effort “I didn’t really study for the test.” • Task Difficulty “That test was too hard” • Luck “I guessed wrong about what to study.”

13. Attribution Theory • Luck and Task Difficulty are external attributions • The “locus of control” is outside the learner • Ability is a stable attribution • It tends to stay the same over time • Effort is an internal attribution • The “locus of control” is with the learner • Research indicates that • stable attributes (ability) lead to expectations of future success or failure • internal attributes (effort) lead to pride in achievement

14. Humanistic Views of Motivation • Abraham Maslow • Healthy individuals are motivated to seek fulfilling experiences • Human motivation is based upon need gratification • Maslow identified a five level hierarchy of needs

15. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Self-Actualization maximizing one’s potential. This is often called the growth need because people constantly strive to satisfy it Esteem Belongingness Love Safety- nurturance, money Physiological- food, water, oxygen

16. Self Concept, Self Esteem, Self-Efficacy • Self-concept is a factual description of how you perceive yourself. If your perception is distorted, this description may not be an accurate depiction of you, but it IS an accurate statement of what you believe about yourself. • Self-esteemis the regard or respect that a person has for oneself. A person with positive feelings regarding the self is said to have high self-esteem. However, self-esteem can refer to very specific areas as well as a general feeling about the self. For instance, a person may have low self-esteem regarding physical attractiveness and high self-esteem about ability to do a job well. • Self-efficacy is a person's belief in their ability to accomplish some specific goal or task. It generally corresponds to the level of competence an individual feels. Competence can vary from one situation to another.

17. Constructivist ApproachDialectical Motivation • Learning is Reciprocal • Student expresses an interest • Teacher provides an experience to promote the interest