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FACULTY OF EDUCATION
ASSIGNMENT COVER SHEET
MODULE TITLE EDUCATION STUDIES 2B
MODULE CODE 3DST212
ASSIGNMENT TOPIC MOTIVATION

LECTURER NAME DR B.P. NKWANYANA

DUE DATE 31 AUGUST 2023
NON - PLAGIARISM DECLARATION
I know that plagiarism means taking and using the ideas, writings, works or inventions of another as if they were one’s own.
I know that plagiarism not only includes verbatim copying, but also the extensive use of another person’s ideas without
proper acknowledgement (which includes the proper use of quotation marks). I know that plagiarism covers this sort of use
of material found in textual sources and from the Internet. I acknowledge and understand that plagiarism is wrong. I
understand that my research must be accurately referenced. I have followed the rules and conventions concerning
referencing, citation and the use of quotations as set out in the Departmental Guide. This assignment is my own work, or
my group’s own unique group assignment. I acknowledge that copying someone else’s assignment, or part of it, is wrong,
and that submitting identical work to others constitutes a form of plagiarism. I have not allowed, nor will I in the future
allow, anyone to copy my work with the intention of passing it off as their own work. By signing this cover sheet, I agree
that I have read and understood the above. I acknowledge that should it be found to be higher than the acceptable similarity
percentage, I may receive 0 (ZERO) for my assignment.
STUDENTS NAME STUDENT NUMBER
Biyela Luyanda 202211934
Buthelezi Bongumusa 202222219
Duma Ayaphila 202234803
Khanyile Sphesihle 202205830
Khubisa Ntandoyenkosi 202230948
Mthembu Lungile 202269022
Ngcobo Sthembiso 202126275
Ngubo Nonjabulo 202274336
Nxumalo Xolani 202217814
Nxumalo Xoliswa 202217780
LECTURER REMARKS

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 Table of Contents

No. Content Page

1 Introduction 3
2 Two types of motivation 3
2.1 Extrinsic motivation 3
2.2 Intrinsic motivation 3
3 Five approaches to 4
motivation
3.1 Behaviorist Theory 4
3.2 Humanistic Theory 5
3.3 Cognitive Theory 5
3.4 Social Cognitive Theory 5
3.5 Sociocultural Theory 6
4 Maslow Hierarchy of Needs 6
4.1 Physiological Needs 6
4.2 Safety Needs 7
4.4 Love and belonging 7
4.5 Esteem Needs 7
4.6 Self-Actualization Needs 8
5 Strategies to encourage 8
motivation
6 Conclusion 9
7 References 10 – 11

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MOTIVATION

1. Introduction

Motivation is described as the force acting on and within a person to initiate behavior of
the person. According to Cherry (2021), motivation is the force that guides and maintains
the behavior that is goal oriented. It can also be described as the drive to achieve your
goals. Once a person lacks motivation, it becomes impossible for that person to achieve
the goals because there is nothing that pushes that person to reach those goals. In this
essay, we will discuss and elaborate the four types of motivation, the five approaches to
motivation, Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs and the strategies that can be taken to
encourage motivation.

2. Two types of motivation

There are two types of motivation that help people to achieve their goals. Some people
lose focus and the willingness and with the lack of these two factors, it becomes
impossible for them to reach their goals. With the presence of motivation, things do
change.

2.1 Extrinsic Motivation (external source, action)

This is an external influence that drive people to act in a specific way such as doing their
job very well as they know that there is something they will get at the end of the day
(Triola, 2021). Examples of external influence include rewards, promotions, prizes, and
punishment. These factors have the power to change the behavior of a person from being
bad to be good. According to Locke & Schattke (2019), extrinsic motivation is an act of
doing something now to get something later. The good example of this is when a learner
is promised by the parents to work hard on the studies to get a new cellphone. The learner
will work hard because of the reward the learner wants to get at the end of the term.

2.2 Intrinsic Motivation (internal source, action)

This is an internal influence that drive people to do something without expecting to get
rewards, incentives, or punishment. In other words, this is person’s own choice or interest,

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and the person is not pushed by the reward to do something. According to Legault (2020),
internal motivation is an engagement in behavior that is inherently enjoyable.

It is associated with activities that are their own rewards. It is the pleasure gained from an
activity apart from getting rewards, incentives, or punishment (Locke & Schattke, 2019).
The activity is enjoyable because someone who is pursuing it is not pushed by anyone or
rewards in doing the activity, but it is a self-motivation that pushes someone to achieve a
certain achievement. The good example of this is when a university student works hard
on the studies to pass all the modules with distinctions so that the academic record of
that student will be good.

3. Five approaches to motivation

The five approaches to motivation that will be discussed below are Behaviorist theory,
Humanistic theory, Cognitive theory, Socio Cognitive theory, and Sociocultural theory.
These approaches help in making the classroom environment better and it also motivate
students to focus and be productive in their studies.

3.1 Behaviorist Theory

This theory was proposed by B.F Skinner and it states that a person is exposed to a
stimulus, which evokes a response, and that response is reinforced (Main, 2023). This
theory emphasizes extrinsic motivation as it deals with the behavior one may display after
the rewards or incentives has been put into the picture. A reward is an attractive object
supplied as the result of a particular behavior and incentive is an object that encourages
the behavior. Once a reward is put into the picture, the behavior of a person changes as
there is something that encourages a person to put more effort in reaching a goal. The
central principle of behaviorism is that all motivation arises from basic drives in ways that
are predictable (Galloway et al, 2004). The behavior changes once the reward is in the
picture. The effort the person put to reach a goal is driven by the reward or incentives the
person is after.

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3.2 Humanistic Theory

This approach focuses on the intrinsic motivation created by the need for personal growth,
fulfilment, and self-determination. Carl Rogers is the one that established the humanistic
theory of personal development. People are motivated to fulfill basic needs before moving
on to other needs (Cherry, 2021). It emphasizes the individual need for self-enrichment
and the fact that people have freedom, and they play a vital role in determining how they
behave. According to Smith & Diekmann (2017), people have free will to make decisions
about their lives and they control their own behavior. This theory is useful in the classroom
as it can remind students that they have freedom of making and taking decisions in their
lives and have the responsibility of controlling their behavior. As much as they have free
will of making decision regarding their lives, but they must be taught to control their
behavior.

3.3 Cognitive Approach

This approach focuses on intrinsic motivation. It views people as active agents seeking
for information to solve personal problems. The cognitive approach is the scientific study
of mind as an information processor which influence the behavior the person portrays
(Lent et al, 2002). Everything starts in the mind then manifest through behavior. A good
example of this is when a person decides to commit suicide, first he must think about it,
come up with a plan of how he is going to do it then act up the plan, this where the
behavior takes over. The behavior is directed as the results of the information in the mind
(Cofer & Petri, 2020). The way you think, and analyses things has so much impact on
your behavior. It is important to guide your thought and be able to reject bad thoughts as
they may lead to a bad behavior. Students can be taught to guide their thoughts because
the thoughts they have, motivate them to behave in a particular manner.

3.4 Social Cognitive Approach

This theory started as Social Learning Theory in the 1960s by the late Bandura. It was
later developed to Social Cognitive Theory in 1986. It talks about the unique way a person
maintain behavior, while considering the environment the person performs the behavior
(LaMorte, 2022). It integrates both behaviorist and cognitive approaches as it talks about

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the behavior a person has to maintain and also using the cognitive to pursue the behavior.
There are two factors that motivate a person in this theory, (i) expectancy – individual
expectations and (ii) value that is attached to the expectations. If both factors are of high
value, the motivation will be strong, and the results will also be good, and the person will
reach the goal he is aiming. If one of these factors is of low value, the motivation will be
low, and the results will be negative as the person won’t be able to reach the goal he was
aiming to reach.

3.5 Sociocultural Approach

This approach focuses on the emphases on intrinsic motivation. It is based on the belief
that people are engaged to and those beliefs maintain their identity with their communities
and schools. This theory looks at the contribution the environment has on individual
development (Cherry, 2022). This approach focuses on role of ethnicity, gender, and
culture in the formation of personality. The environment you are part of and exposed to
has so much influence on your life, The behavior you portray is also influenced by the
environment you are exposed to. Students that come from the families that value
education will enjoy studying as they are motivated by the environment that are coming
from. The students that come from abusive families will also portray that behavior at
school as they are motivated by what they see in their environment.

4. Maslow Hierarchy of Needs

Over seventy years ago Abraham Maslow submitted “A Theory of Human Motivation” in
1943. He made a pyramid-shape hierarchy of needs that grabbed the world’s imagination
by indicating that humans are driven by needs for survival, safety, love and belonging,
esteem, and self-actualization (Abulof, 2017). This hierarchy ranges from more vital
needs such as food, water, and air to abstract need such as self-fulfillment (Hopper,
2020). The discussion of these needs is below.

4.1 Physiological needs

These needs are crucial, and one cannot function well without them. These are essentials
people need for physical survival. Examples of these are air, food, drink, shelter, clothing,
warmth, sleep, and health. If you fail to meet these needs, your body cannot function well.

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These needs are considered as the most important because you cannot meet other needs
until these needs are met (Wahome, 2022). Every human being needs physiological
needs to survive and with the lack of these needs, a human being may end up dying.
Water, air, and food are part of these needs. We need water to quench the thirsty and to
survive. We need air to breath and without the air, there is no life. We need food to eat
and get strength to move and work. If you don’t get food for the numbers of days, you will
end up dying.

4.2 Safety Needs

Safety needs come after the physiological needs. Once physiological needs are met then
safety needs must be considered. Safety needs are personal security, financial security,
and health and well-being. To be worried about safety is the major reason for mental
disorder like depression (Zheng et al, 2016). These needs can be fulfilled by the family
and society for example schools, business, police, and medical care (Mcleod, 2007).
Things like employment is example of safety needs and it helps someone to get money
which help in meeting all your needs. Health is also important as your life needs to be
taken care of because if you don’t you might end up dying.

4.3 Love and belonging Needs

These are the first of social needs, involving the desire for interpersonal relationships and
being part of a group. These needs are important as they require someone to socialize
with people to get friendship, intimacy, and trust. Love and belongingness needs can be
fulfilled with general relationships, such as friendships, belonging to a group, parent-child
relationship, and a romantic relationship (Pinkus, 2020). These needs are important as
we need to have relationships with people. We do have love and need to give it to others.
We need to belong to a group of people and socialize. It is hard to survive in this life if
you decide to be alone and never belong to a group of people which can be a family,
friends, colleagues etc.

4.4 Esteem Needs

Esteem is an internal quality that makes a person feel confidence, have self-belief, and
feel acceptable socially. Esteem is affected by external factors such as validation and

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approval from the peers (Bilalia, 2019). These factors have the potential to increase the
self-esteem and destroy self-esteem of someone. Stefanacci (2020) stated that esteem
needs include confidence, strength, social acceptance, and respect you get from other
people. According to McLeod (2007), esteem needs are classified into two parts: (i)
esteem for oneself – (includes dignity, independence, and achievement) and (ii) the
desire for respect from others – (includes having a status and the prestige). Most people
like to be recognized and be cherished for what they did as it boosts their self-esteem. If
a person has a low self-esteem, it becomes hard to see that person enjoying life and
reaching the goals as there is no drive that pushes that person to be better person. Self-
esteem plays a crucial role in making life of a person to be positive as it is the drive that
drives a person to be achieve the goals.

4.5 Self-actualization Needs

These are referred as our being needs and they include personal and creative self-
growth, which are achieved through the fulfilment of our full potential (Komninos, 2020).
One thing about this stage is that not everyone reaches this stage but only those that
wants to reach their potential and aiming to reach a highest level in life. Self-actualization
emphasizes the natural drive of individual to reach the highest level in life that require
them to put more effort to reach it (Perera, 2023). According to Drew (2023), self-
actualization is a process that develops oneself physically, mentally, and spiritually. It is
also the fulfillment of full potential. When a person desires to become the most that one
can be, that person has reach this stage of self-actualization. Example of this is when a
person decides to climb the Mount Kilimanjaro as to break the record and be counted on
the list of few people that managed to climb Kilimanjaro Mountain.

5. Strategies to encourage motivation

There are many strategies that can be used to encourage someone to be positive and
take an initiative in reaching a goal they want to achieve. In schools, teachers may start
by promoting the sense of belonging in the classroom so that every student can feel
welcome. They must build the confidence to students by paying a compliment when is
due and when it comes to punishing a student, the punishment must build a student to be
a better person. Get student engagement on the lesson by allowing them to ask questions

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and share their opinions on the topic that is discussed (Muir et al, 2022). Once students
are motivated, their participation in the classroom will be magnificent and so is the
performance.

6. Conclusion

In conclusion, motivation is the most important aspect of life that helps people to achieve
certain goals that they are aiming to reach. Some people lose focus and the zeal to
achieve certain things in life because of different things they are facing and going through.
The solution to this problem is motivation. Motivation can lift someone who has lost hope
about life and make that person to gain hope and have the willingness of wanting to
achieve something in life. Motivation is crucial and is playing a big role in changing the
lives of the people. Teachers are encouraged to exercise motivation on students and the
results will be productive.

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