REFLECTION PAPER ON MOTIVATION

Motivation, as the name suggests, is what ‘moves’ us. It is the reason we do anything at

all. For teachers, a lack of motivation has long been one of the most frustrating obstacles to

student learning. While the concept of motivation may intuitively seem fairly simple, a rich

research literature has developed as researchers have defined this concept in a number of ways.

Social scientists and psychologists have approached the problem of motivation from a variety of

different angles, and education researchers have adapted many of these ideas into the school

context. While there is a great deal of overlap between motivation theories, researchers differ in

their identification of the underlying belief systems leading to motivational variation. Some

theorists emphasise belief in oneself and one’s competency, others prioritise goal orientation, and

a third group argues that the difficulty of the task shapes individual motivation. This resource

will provide an introduction to various theories of motivation, explain the importance of

motivation for learning, and outline several practical strategies that teachers can use to support

and promote student motivation.

As an educator, one of my main goals of teaching is to motivate students to become

engaged in and maintain their thirst for learning. I have placed the responsibility of motivation on

my students. I linked this to my personal motivation style. Being a self-motivated person, my

expectation was that others should be also. Not withstanding the need to motivate my students, I

forged ahead as if the enthusiasm to learn was inherent within all of them. It has become

incumbent upon me as an educator to not only be motivated to teach but also to provide motivation

to students. Consequently, there are ways to provoke and support student motivation as an
educator. At the start of the lesson, I can observe the countenance of the students to discern if they

are not feeling well, have had a bad day or are experiencing some other problems that have

contributed to their negative attitude. By talking to the students, listening and learning about any

outside influences which affect their ability to be fully engaged in the lesson, I can help them move

forward in the learning process. This is one way to build trust and provide a hospitable

environment where students will feel comfortable sharing. Another tool that can be used to identify

students preferred learning style is the multiple intelligences assessment.