ROLE OF MOTIVATION IN LEARNING

 

ROLE OF MOTIVATION IN LEARNING

 

As a teacher you need to make students engage in goal - directed behaviour. Goals motivate students to act in order to reduce the discrepancy between “what they are” and “where they want to be”.

 Motivation is hence regarded as something that prompts an individual to attain their specific goal in a particular manner at a particular time. It is the internal force which accelerates a response or behaviour.

Motivation is defined as “an internal state that arouses, directs and maintains behaviour. It may be positive or negative, tangible or intangible, subtle or difficult to identify”.

 

Lewin's theory emphasis that motivation is a drive that inspires to move towards your goal.

• Motivation is the principal   force that governs the learners' progress and ability to learn.
• It not only sets in motion the activity which results in learning, but also sustains and directs it.
• In a teaching – learning situation, a learner work longer and harder and with more vigour and intensity when they are motivated than they are do not.
• Motivation helps individual overcome disinterest or boredom in their learning.

In the learning process, the learner who responds to the external stimulus so that to acquire changes in the behaviour needs motivation.

It is the factor that influences the improvement and achievement of the learners.

No learning is possible without motivation. In the learning process, the source of motivation may be complex. It may be either intrinsic or extrinsic.

 

Motivation leads to self-actualization in learning.

It helps in satisfying the needs of the learner.

It develops an individual to acquire competencies like independent, democratic, adaptable approaches and creative, interpersonal, problem solving skills.

METHODS OF IMPROVING MOTIVATION

 

It is the responsibility of the teacher to motivate the learner in the teaching- learning process. By improving the motivational level of the learners, the teacher could develop the self- concept and self- respect of the learners in achieving their needs. Hence it is very important to improve motivation and it could be as follows.

a)     Goal – setting

b)    Attractive physical and environmental condition

c)     Stimulus – variation by the teacher

d)   Reinforcement: Praise and Blame.

e)      Teaching skills

f)   Teachers own motivation and interest in teaching

 

Goal-setting: The learners need constant motivation from the teachers so that they efficiently use their talents for their needs and goals.

The needs and the goals are the basis of motivation. These needs and goals differ according to their personality and socio- economic background.

Hence the learners should be led accordingly to their individual

need and talent to attain their goal by making use of various scientifically proven techniques in motivation like success and reward, failure and punishment etc.

 

a)      Attractive physical and environmental condition: The physical and the environment of the learning place should be desirable.

Distractions such as noise, heavy light, abnormal temperature should be avoided.

 It should be ventilated and cleanliness should be maintained.

 

b)      Stimulus – variation by the teacher: It is observed and proved that learners cannot be able to attend on one thing for a very long period.

The effectiveness of teaching learning process in such a situation depends a great extent on the stimulus variations used by the teacher behaviour.

Stimulus variations such as teacher movement, teacher gesture, and change in speech, sensory focus and postures contributes to motivate the learners.

c)  Reinforcement: Praise and Blame.

   Positive verbal reinforcement such as use of words like ‘excellent' ,'good' etc. and negative verbal reinforcement like ‘poor' 'wrong', etc. 

    positive non-verbal reinforcement such as nodding , smiling, friendly look, friendly movement towards the learners, negative non-verbal reinforcement such as expressions of annoyance, frowning, impatience etc.

d)  Teaching skills: Teaching skills of the teacher greatly influence motivation. Teaching skills includes all the skills of micro teaching. 

    It is not easy to give an exact number of teaching skills involved in motivating learners. Hence it is necessary for the teachers to use the micro teaching skills to the optimal level.

e)  Teachers own motivation and interest in teaching: The teacher must be interested and passionate towards the profession and with whom he or she is teaching with. 

If the teacher is not interested in teaching, he or she cannot motivate the learners. The teacher should try to discover new approaches and methods of teaching with the gained experience.