Motivation Theory

1. MotivationTheory By Dave Long and Ryan Yoshizawa LIS 686

2. Overview • Review Motivation Theories Behaviorist Theory Cognitive Theories Humanistic View • Factors Affecting Student Motivation • How to Motivate Students • References • Questions?

3. Theories of Motivation Behaviorist Theory • Motivation is the result of responses to reinforcement. Cognitive Theory • Motivation results from individuals attempting to maintain order or balance and an understanding of the world. Humanist Theory • Motivation results from individuals attempting to fulfill their full potential as human beings. --Wiseman & Hunt, 2001

4. Behaviorism and Motivation Characteristics • Behaviorism is usually associated with the giving of reinforcementor the use of reinforcers. • A “reinforcer” is something that is given or a consequence that adds to the frequency or duration of a behavior. • Common reinforcers include food, teacher praise, grades, free time, class positions, and responsibilities. • Use of reinforcers are generally ineffective for middle and high schools and for underachieving students. • Reinforcer potencyis variable.

5. Behaviorism and Motivation Implications for Teacher/Librarians • Using reinforcers may decrease intrinsic motivation. • Using reinforcers can narrow students’ focus. • Using reinforcers often creates logistical problems. • Using rewards ignores students’ cognitions.

6. Cognitive Theories of Motivation Characteristics • Believes that individual behavior is influenced by the way people perceive themselves and their environment. • People seek to maintain order and understanding. Concepts • Equilibration (Piaget, 1952): The process of searching for order or balance and, in doing so, testing one’s understanding of the real world. • Expectation X Value Theory: Students are motivated to engage in learning tasks to the extent that they expect to succeed and the degree to which they value the achievement of the task.

7. Cognitive Theories of Motivation Implications for Teacher/Librarians • Students are naturally motivated to learn when they encounter experiences that are inconsistent with their current understandings. • Some disequilibrium is necessary to motivate students. • Too much disequilibrium can be counterproductive, creating excessive frustration and overwhelming anxiety. • Teachers must create learning experiences in which students can be successful and the success must be in activities that students see valuein attaining. • When students are successful on tasks they value, they develop greater self-efficacy.

8. Humanistic Views of Motivation Characteristics • Considers the entire physical, emotional, interpersonal, and intellectual qualities of an individual and examines how they influence a person’s choices and behavior. • According to the Humanistic view, all students are motivated. Concepts • Hierarchy of Needs(Maslow, 1970) • Deficiency Needs: Needs at the lower levels of the hierarchy (e.g., survival, safety, belonging, and self-esteem). • Growth Needs: Needs at the higher levels of the hierarchy (e.g., intellectual achievement, aesthetic appreciation, and self-actualization).

9. Factors Affecting Motivation • Attribution • Performance Goals vs. Learning/Mastery Goals • Teacher Expectations • Anxiety (Facilitating vs. Debilitating) • Environment • Student Interest • Lack of Instructional Variability

10. Motivating Students • Celebrate each child’s in-school learning via daily, in-class, informal ceremonies and displays of student work. • Build a sense of community with the classroom. • Celebrate each child’s out-of-school learning. • Communicate with students when they are not performing up to standards.

11. Motivating Students • Explain instructional concepts clearly. • Vary your instructional approaches. • Demonstrate enthusiasm and interest in both the subject matter and your teaching. • Project task-oriented and/or business-like behaviors. • Communicate expected instructional outcomes to students before beginning instruction and teach to the students’ attainment of those outcomes.

12. Motivating Students • Use and incorporate student ideas/input into your instruction. • Be organized, but not overly restrictive. • Gain student attention at the beginning of a lesson using pictures, models, riddles, multimedia presentations, etc. to increase student curiosity and interest. • Provide students with regular, constructive feedback.

13. Motivating Students • Use effective questioning strategies (e.g., frequency, equitable distribution, prompting, and wait-time). • Demonstrate nonthreatening and nonjudgmental probing behaviors. • Use structuring comments. • Provide students with “review” and “closure.”

14. References Brophy, Jere. Motivating Students to Learn. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 1998. Fried, Robert L. The Passionate Learner: How Teachers and Parents Can Help Children Reclaim the Joy of Discovery. Boston: Beacon Press, 2001. Wiseman, Dennis G., and Gilbert H. Hunt. Best Practice in Motivation and Management in the Classroom. Springfield: Charles C Thomas, 2001.

15. Any Questions? Thank you for your attention. “It is unrealistic for a teacher to expect to routinely produce what might be considered ideal motivation in the classroom in each and every lesson taught…Working to produce a state of motivation to learn is a more realistic and reachable goal.” --Brophy, 1998 For more information, please contact: Dave Long at davidlon@hawaii.edu or Ryan Yoshizawa at ryoshiza@hawaii.edu