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Module
In

EDUC 105B
FACILITATING
LEARNER-CENTERED TEACHING

College of Education
BEED/BSED/BPE II
 Module No. 4

Motivational Techniques

2nd Semester, 2020-2021

ROMELYN T. DACANAY
Assistant Professor II

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 Table of Contents

Content Page

Lesson I: Relationship of Need and Motivation

Lesson II: Problems in Motivation

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INSTRUCTION TO THE USER

This module would provide you an educational experience while independently

accomplishing the task at your own pace or time. It aims as well to ensure that learning is
unhampered by health and other challenges. It covers the topic about The Teacher as a
Person in the Society.

Reminders in using this module:

1. Keep this material neat and intact.

2. Answer the pretest first to measure what you know and what to be
learned about the topic discussed in this module.
3. Accomplish the activities and exercises as aids and reinforcement for
better understanding of the lessons.
4. Answer the post-test to evaluate your learning.
5. Do not take pictures in any parts of this module nor post it to social
media platforms.
6. Value this module for your own learning by heartily and honestly
answering and doing the exercises and activities. Time and effort were
spent in the preparation in order that learning will still continue amidst
this Covid-19 pandemic.
7. Observe health protocols: wear mask, sanitize and maintain physical
distancing.

Hi! I’m Blue Bee, your WPU Mascot.

Welcome to Western Philippines University!

Shape your dreams with quality learning experience.

STAY SAFE AND HEALTHY!

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INTRODUCTION

Module 4
Motivational Technique
Overview

This module particularly examines the various concepts and perspectives about
motivation, as defined and viewed by different motivation theorists. Of practical significance
is the concept about the relationship between need and motivation, i.e., the presence of a need
drives one to act or to behave in ways that will satisfy and fulfill that need. Asa result, that
action or behavior is heightened and strengthened. Motivation is a complex phenomenon.
There are many theories and views which try to explain motivation. The basic needs model,
referred to as Content Theory of Motivation focuses on the specific factors that motivate an
individual to act in a certain way. These factors are found both within and outside of an
individual. All people have needs that they want satisfied. The primary needs like food, water,
and sleep are biological in nature, and are not learned. Secondary needs are psychological and
are learned through experience. These are internal states such as the desire for power,
achievement, and love. Education has considered and studied the relationship of needs to
motivation because it provides the platform for developing methodologies that drive students
to achieve the best learning possible. As future teachers, it is important for you to be
theoretically grounded on the subject matter of motivation. This will enable you to develop
and apply the necessary strategies and techniques to develop students’ motivation to learn and
achieve their goals and more importantly, to sustain it.

Learning Outcomes

At the end of learning experience, the students can:

1. Define the term Motivation

2. Relate need and motivation.
3.

Pre-test (to be posted separately)

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 Lesson 1

Relationship of Need and Motivation

A. Learning Outcomes
At the end of learning experience, the students can:

1. Define the term Motivation

2. Relate need and motivation.
3.

B. Time Allotment 3 Hours

C. Discussion

LEARNING POINT: WHAT IS MOTIVATION?

Motivation is defined as an internal state that arouses, directs, and maintains

behavior (Woolfolk, 2013; Ormrod, 2015). Defines motivation as something that energizes,
directs, and sustains behavior; it gets students moving, points them in a particular direction
and keeps them going. The students’ motivation is often reflected in personal investment and
cognitive engagement in an activity (Maehr & Meyer, Paris & Paris, Steinberg in Woolfolk,
2013). As deduced from these definitions, motivation is an internal state, that is reflected in
observable and measurable behavior of pursuing one’s goals.

From these definitions, motivation represents a “force” or “energy” that makes one
move or behave toward a goal and sustain it. It is thus important to consider students’
motivation as a factor to learning.

Perspectives of Motivation

Researchers and theorists have studied motivation from four perspectives (Ormrod,
2015).

1. Trait Perspective – According to the theorists who hold onto the trait perspective,
motivation is an enduring personality characteristic which people have at differing amounts,
- some people have it to a greater extent, and some, to a lesser extent. One example of a much
- studied trait is the need for achievement also known as achievement motivation. It is the
need to pursue excellence for its own sake, without regard for external rewards. This was
initially thought of as a general trait and is consistent across variety of tasks. However, more
recently achievement motivation is now seen as specific to certain tasks and occasions, and
that it has a cognitive component. Thus, descriptions of achievement motivation are veering
away from the trait approach toward the cognitive approach.

2. Behaviorist Perspective – Those who take on the behaviorist perspective maintain that
people behave to obtain reinforcing outcomes or to avoid punishment. Thus, students might
study hard if the teacher praises them for their efforts. Or they might misbehave in class, if
only to get the attention of the teacher. It used to be that behaviorists think specific
consequences are reinforcing only if they address a particular drive necessary for optimal
functioning (e.g. food, water, etc.). This is the drive-reduction theory. However, it was found

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that learning can occur even If a certain drive ls not addressed of reduced. As a result, these
theorists now focus more on the purposes particular behaviors may serve for people, rather
than on physiological drives. However, whatever perspective one takes, theorists now
recognize that the consequences of behavior can certainly affect students’ motivation to exhibit
those behaviors.

3. The Social Cognitive Perspective – This perspective places heavy emphasis on the
goals people strive for, as seen in the choices they make and the behaviors they show.
Reinforcement and punishment that follow certain behaviors affect people's expectations of
the consequences of their future behaviors. People's beliefs about their capability to perform
in an activity is a factor in their decision to engage and persist in that activity. Thus, goals,
expectations and efficacy are important cognitive factors in motivation.

4. The Cognitive Perspective – This focuses on how mental processes affect motivation.
They maintain that human beings are naturally inclined to make sense of their world, that
their curiosity is often aroused by new and puzzling events and are more motivated by
perceived discrepancies between new information and their existing beliefs. Hence, to
motivate students, teachers should capitalize on the curiosity of the students, by presenting
challenging or even inconsistent and puzzling situations.

There is no single perspective that will fully explain human motivation and its
underpinnings. However, teachers should be able to selectively glean useful ideas from each
perspective as to how students could be best motivated in classroom settings.

Factors that Drive One to Achieve a Goal

Being motivated means moving energetically toward a goal, or to work hard in

achieving a goal, even if the tasks to achieve the goal are difficult. Following are some of the
underlying reasons and factors that drive one to work hard to achieve a goal (Woolfolk, 2013,
Pp. 431).

a. Drives. To satisfy a physiological state like hunger

b. Basic Desires, Desire to be accepted and recognized.
c. Incentives. Expected rewards after achieving the goal
d. Fears, Fear of censure or criticism
e. Goal. Is an important goal for the individual to achieve
f. Social Pressure. Pressure from family or social circle
g. Self-confidence. Desired bigger amount of self-confidence
h. Interests. High interest in meeting a goal
i. Curiosity. Curiosity about expected outcomes.
j. Belief. One’s beliefs about the goals.
k. Values. If goal is related to one’s values
l. Expectations. The expect outcomes of a goal
m. Cognitive Ability. A good grasp of one’s goal will lead one to work hard for it.

Benefits of Motivation

Ormrod (2015) lists several effects or benefits of motivation on students’ learning and
behavior.

1. It directs behavior toward particular goals. Social cognitive theorists propose

that individuals set goals for themselves and direct their behavior toward these goals.
Motivation determines the specific goals which people strive to reach or achieve

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 (Maehr & Meyer, 1997 in Ormrod 2015). Thus, motivation bears on specific choices
that students make, as for example, whether to attend a photography class, or finish
an assignment in math or watch a basketball game on TV.
2. It leads to increased effort and energy. Motivation increases the amount of effort
and energy that students spend on activities especially if these are related to their needs
and goals. Thus, motivation determines whether the student will pursue an activity or
a task, with much enthusiasm and energy; or with less enthusiasm.
3. It increases initiation of and persistence in doing activities. Students are
more likely to begin a task that they want and are interested to do, and are more likely
to persist and finish the task, even if there are barriers, hindrances, or interruptions
while doing the task.
4. It enhances cognitive processing. Motivation affects what and how information
is processed. Students who are highly motivated at doing a task will pay more attention
to the task, understand it more, and think more about the details. They exert extra
effort to deduce meaning out of the material, rather than go through the motions of
finishing the task in a superficial or haphazard manner.
5. It determines what consequences are reinforcing. The more students are
motivated to achieve, the more proud they feel of getting a high grade, or feel upset
when they get only a passing mark. The more students feel accepted and respected by
peers, the more meaning they get out of their membership in that group. Thus, to a
student whose life and efforts revolve around science, winning or not winning in a
prestigious science competition may be a consequence of significant importance.
6. It leads to improved performance. Because of the above-mentioned effects of
motivation on goal-directed behavior, effort, initiation and persistence, cognitive
processing and reinforcement, motivation necessarily leads to improved performance.
Students who are highly motivated, have better chances of better performance.

Knowing the effects of motivation on the learning of students has implications for
teaching. It is a challenge to determine what teaching techniques to use and what kind of
teaching environment to create to engage students to set goals for themselves, persist in
achieving their goals, sharpen their cognitive skills in the process, and eventually improve
their performance.

A basic principle would be for the teacher to present and clarify to the students the
goals or objectives of the lesson or a classroom activity. Thus, the students are guided to set
and direct their goals. This should be followed by the teacher getting an idea of the level at
which the students are motivated. Simply observing them for their attention or non-attention
can be a clue to the teacher on the extent to which students are motivated to do the task or the
activity. It would also be good to find out if the motivation comes from within as being
“genuinely interested” in doing the activity; or if the motivation comes from the outside, as
wanting to get a high grade as reason for joining the activity. In the process, giving feedback
to the students and guiding them as to what they should do, or correcting them for errors is a
plus. It is also important for the teacher to give rewards and incentives for students’
performance and make sure that they exert extra effort and persist in achieving the goal/s of
the activity.

LEARNING POINT: KINDS OF MOTIVATION

There are two primary kinds of motivation, intrinsic and extrinsic. Intrinsic The
natural tendency of an individual to seek out and conquer challenges as he pursues his
personal interest and exercise his capabilities. When intrinsically motivated, there is no need
for incentives or rewards, because the activity itself is satisfying and rewarding (Anderman &
Anderman, Deci & Ryan, Reiss, in Woolfolk, 2013).

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 This is an internal stimulus to learning. Intrinsic motivation is based on motives that
the individual is trying to satisfy. Motive is a thought, feeling, or condition that causes one to
act. Most common forms of intrinsic motivation are the desire for knowledge, to explore and
to construct. Intrinsic motivation is driven by three psychological needs: the need for
autonomy, the need to feel competent, the need for relatedness. All in all, the individual is
intrinsically motivated to pursue a goal because it makes him feel he has 4 handle or control
of his life and that he can harmonize himself with the world.

Extrinsic

Extrinsic is conquering a challenge for reasons like earning a high grade, avoiding
punishment, please a teacher, or some other reason that has very little to do with the task itself.
There is really no interest in the task or activity itself, but only the gains one expects to get out
of the task (Woolfolk, 2013, p. 431).

This is an external stimulus to learning activity. Praise and blame, rivalry, rewards, and
punishment are the more common forms of extrinsic motivation. It is based on incentives. The
student is encouraged to do good work by such drives as high marks, honors, prizes,
scholarships, and privileges.

It is rather difficult to determine whether a behavior is intrinsically or extrinsically

motivated by just simply looking at the behavior of the person. The difference lies in the
student's reason for acting, whether the locus of causality for the action is internal (inside) or
external (outside) to the person. To cite an example, a student who may be practicing to sing
chooses to do so freely because it is a personal interest and enjoys doing it. This is a case of
internal locus of causality or intrinsic motivation. However, if the student is — practicing to
sing, because he is looking forward to get an award in a musical competition, then he is
extrinsically motivated.

The dichotomy between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation is not an all or nothing
thing. There are two explanations for this view.

a. Our activities fall along a continuum from fully self-determined (intrinsic

motivation) to fully determined by others (extrinsic motivation). For example, students may
choose to work hard on an activity that is not particularly enjoyable, but they know that
working hard on an activity will make it easier for them to reach their goals. As an example,
those students taking up education may not find studying philosophy of education very
enjoyable. But they have to study this subject very well because they want to pass the licensure
exam after graduation. Here is a case of a motivation level which is in between intrinsic and
extrinsic. Here, the student chooses freely outside causes as in passing licensure exam and
trying to get the best rewards or benefits from the requirement (Woolfolk, 2013).

b. Intrinsic and extrinsic motivations are not two ends of a continuum. Rather, they
are two independent possibilities, and at any given time, we can be motivated by some aspects
of each (Covington & Mueller in Woolfolk, 2013). For example, teachers may realize that
intrinsic motivation may not work all the time for students. There will be situations where
incentives and external supports are necessary.

LEARNING POINT: APPROACHES TO MOTIVATION

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 Generally, there are five approaches to motivation which teachers can select from when
they want the students to get interested or focused on the lessons (Woolfolk, 2013).

1. Behavioral Approach – Student motivation starts with the teacher doing a careful
analysis of the incentives and rewards present and available in the classroom. A reward is
an attractive object or event given as a result of a particular behavior. An incentive is an
object or event that encourages or discourages behavior. The promise of a high grade is
an incentive, Receiving the grade is the reward. Giving grades, stars, stickers and other
reinforcers for learning, or demerits for misbehavior are ways to motivate students by
extrinsic means of incentives, rewards and punishment.
2. Humanistic Approach – Proponents of humanistic psychology like Carl Rogers argued
that other schools of psychology are not adequate to explain why people act and behave
the way they do. This approach emphasizes intrinsic sources of motivation like need for
self-actualization, or the need for self-determination. From the humanistic view, to
motivate is to encourage people’s inner resources, their sense of competence, self-esteem,
autonomy and self-actualization. It is thus important for teachers to provide activities or
opportunities that will develop students’ self-confidence and a sense of competence inside
the classroom.
3. Cognitive Approach – People are viewed as active and curious, searching for
information, and solving problems. This approach emphasizes intrinsic motivation, and
believes that behavior is determined by our thinking, not because we were rewarded or
not punished for past behavior. Behavior is initiated and regulated by plans, expectations
and attributions. It is thus important for teachers to provide activities to students that will
challenge their thinking processes, and encourage problem-solving and independent
thinking.
4. Social Cognitive Approach – Motivation is seen as the result of two forces: the
individual’s expectation of reaching a goal, and the value of that goal to the person. If these
two forces are present, then motivation will be strong. However, if either one force is zero,
then there is no motivation to work toward a goal. For teachers, this means that to lead
students to reach a goal, (like completing a laboratory experiment), the expectations
should be clear to the students, and the value of attaining that goal be emphasized, too.
5. Socio-cultural Approach – Emphasis is on participation in communities of practice.
People engage in activities to maintain their identities and their interpersonal relations in
the community. Thus, students are motivated to learn if they belong to a classroom or a
group that values learning, and where they believe learning is important to their lives.
Thus, we learn to dress, or speak in a particular manner as we learn from the other or
more capable members of the community. The values held by the whole group or class
should be clear to the students, from which they could identify with those values.

LEARNING POINT: THEORIES ON RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN NEED AND

MOTIVATION

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Maslow (in Woolfolk, 2013) asserts that humans have a hierarchy of needs ranging
from lower level needs for survival and safety to higher levels needs for intellectual
achievement and finally self-actualization, or self-fulfillment.

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 Self-actualization Needs (realizing one’s full
potential)

Self-esteem Needs (feeling good about

oneself)

Social Needs (belonging, friendships,

relationships)

Safety Needs (feeling safe and secure)

Physiological Needs (satisfying basic needs:

hunger and thirst.)

1. Physiological needs: hunger, thirst, sleep

2. Safety needs: security, protection from danger and freedom from pain

3. Social needs: love needs like friendship giving/receiving love, engaging in social activities,
group membership

4. Esteem: need for self-respect and for others. The desire for self-confidence, achievement,
recognition and appreciation; feeling good about oneself

5. Self-actualization: to become everything one can be (“Maslow’s Motivation Theory,’ n.

d.).

The theory further asserts that lower needs have to be met or satisfied first before the
next higher needs could be addressed. The four level lower-level needs - for survival, safety,
belonging and self-esteem are deficiency needs. When these needs are satisfied or met, the
motivation for fulfilling them decreases. The three higher level needs - intellectual
achievement, aesthetic appreciation and finally self-actualization needs. When such needs are
met, a person's motivation does not cease, but instead increases to seek further fulfillment.
These needs can never be completely filled.

A criticism of Maslow’s theory, however, is that people do not always behave in

accordance with the hierarchy. A person may pursue knowledge, understanding or self-esteem
while denying himself friendship or social interaction. Despite this criticism, Maslow’s theory
provides us a way of looking at the student whose physical, emotional and intellectual needs
are interrelated. It also means that the teacher will be able to help his students on their journey
to self-actualization, by seeing to it that the lower level needs or the survival needs are first
met and satisfied. The classroom environment should also be such that the students feel
accepted by their peers and teacher.

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Self-determination: Need for Competence, Autonomy and Relatedness

Self-determination theory espouses that we all need to feel competent and capable
in our interactions with others, have choices, and a sense of control over our lives and to belong
to a social group.

Need for autonomy is central to self-determination because it is the desire to have our
own wishes, rather than external rewards or pressures to determine our actions. People strive
to have authority in their lives and be in control and in charge of their own behavior. Thus,
when students in the classroom have the authority to make choices, they come to believe that
their work is important, even if it is not fun. Thus they tend to internalize educational goals as
their own. In contrast, controlling environments tend to improve performance only on rote
recall tasks. When there is pressure to conform, students tend to look for the fastest, quickest
and easiest solutions, without much thought of deducing meaning and significance of the
material.

D. Activities/Exercises

Directions: Fill out the information asked and relate it to motivation.

Answer the following situations base on your understanding in the lesson.

Concept What I Read What I Learned How will I apply

in the classroom
1. Maslow’s The needs of people To achieve self- Make sure that the
Hierarchy of are in a hierarchy. actualization, the students’
Needs basic physiological physiological needs
needs should first are being addresses.
address. However,
some people can Classroom
achieve the higher atmosphere should
goals, even without be such that pupils
satisfying the basic are made to feel
needs. accepted.
2. The Cognitive
Perspective of
Motivation
3. Self-
determination

4. Definition of
Motivation

5. Rewards and
Incentives

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 Lesson 2

Different Styles of Learning

A. Learning Outcomes

At the end of learning experience, the students can:

1. Analyze problems in motivation

B. Time Allotment 3 Hours

C. Discussion

LEARNING POINT: NATURE OF PROBLEMS IN MOTIVATION

As explained and defined in the previous chapter, motivation is an internal state which
drives one to act, move or engage in a task, and persist in achieving a certain goal. Motivation
includes the amount and kind of effort or energy one puts in engaging in a task, as well as the
kind of satisfaction and meaning one derives out of the engagement.

Since motivation is an internal state, it is difficult to determine, what is going on in

one’s mind or in one’s feelings. Hence, one, has to rely on observations of outward behavioral
manifestations. For example, a teacher can observe the facial expression of students, when
doing an experiment. Or how fast or slow the students respond to an assigned task. These
behaviors indicate the level of motivation of the students in pursuing a task.

The teacher should consider it important for his students to be highly motivated to
learn. Motivation facilitates meaningful student learning. It is expected that in a class, the
students have differing levels of motivation. Some are highly motivated to learn while others
are not. The latter case presents more of a concern to the teacher. If students are poorly
motivated to learn, there might exist some problems that explain why this is so.

Woolfolk (2013, p. 431) suggests “problems” in the five areas of motivation, namely: a)
choices, b) getting started, c) intensity, d) persistence, and e) thoughts and feelings. The
situations also show different motivational challenges, and teachers should be able to know
what these challenges are, so they can determine how to motivate these students to learn.

Following are examples that explain and illustrate different levels of motivation among
students to engage in an activity.

Let us assume that the English teacher has just finished giving instructions to his Grade
10 students to write a 300-word news item. Take note of the behavioral reactions of the
students to the task.

a. Robert just stares into space and hardly starts writing. He keeps saying, “It is
difficult!” This is always his reaction every time there is a class activity. He tries to catch up
with his classmates, but still lags behind. (getting started)

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 b. Anna checks with the teacher every paragraph that she writes. She wants to make
sure, there are no errors in her output. She has earlier been praised by the teacher for good
outputs. She does not want to get a grade lower than go. However, if it is not required, or if
there is no test, she is not interested to engage in any class activity. (intensity)

c. Bobby is interested in writing fiction or non-fiction articles. He also spends much

time reading essays and news articles coming from good source materials. But his overall
grade is 83 because he never turns in his assignments and his outputs, He is satisfied with the
grade of 80. He does not study hard for tests. (persistence)

d. Amy came to class but without the news clippings the teacher earlier asked them to
bring to class. So she asks her classmates to share with her their materials, Then she pretends
to be writing the news article, but does other things the moment the teacher turns her back.
She asks her classmates to help her with writing. She is afraid to try on her own, because if she
fails, she knows her classmates will think she is “dumb”. (thoughts and feelings)

e. Maridel performs very well in most subjects. However, she does not feel confident
and comfortable in the area of communication and languages. Her grades in these subjects are
comparatively much lower than the other subjects. For this task, she thinks she will not be able
to come up with a well-written news article. Her parents are well-known journalists and her
parents expect her to follow in their footsteps, but prospects for this future are not bright.
(choices)

As shown by the different examples, Robert has difficulty starting to do the task. His
difficulty may be due to reasons like, lack of ability for the written language, or he may not be
confident in doing this task. Thus, Robert may not be able to complete the task of writing the
news article. In the case of Anna, she had always been praised by the teacher for good work.
Her behavior of always going to consult the teacher during the writing activity to know if she
is on the right track or not, may indicate to the teacher, that she has a high level of motivation
to finish the task. It seems though that Anna's behavior, which indicates high motivation level,
is explained more by the praises she has earlier received. But when it comes to other class
activities, she is not interested to do them, unless there is a test that follows. Anna’s high
motivation level indicated by her behavior is explained by “other” reasons, rather than the
objective of improving her ability to write.

Bobby operates within a context conducive to develop further and maximize his writing
skills. First, he has the interest and the ability to write, and second, good resource materials
are available to him. But despite these, he is satisfied with the grade of 80, and he does not
study his lessons. This observation may give the teacher the idea that Bobby has low
motivation level to perform better. Lack of persistence may explain why Bobby does not show
more effort to perform better, even if he has the resources to do so. Perhaps, he has never been
rewarded or praised for good work at home or in school. Or he hasn't had the opportunity to
think of his immediate goals.

In the case of Amy, she pretends to be actively engaged in writing the news article. By
this alone, the teacher may think that she has a high level of motivation to finish the task.
However, she did not prepare the materials assigned as needed to write the article. Nor was
she serious in writing even when the teacher is not looking at her shoulder. She asked help
from classmates, and actually, was afraid to do things on her own, because she is afraid her
classmates would call her “dumb.” There are other circumstances that indicate Amy in fact

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does not have the motivation to finish writing the news article. Her pretensions in writing the
article appear to be a defense mechanism or a front, for her not to be labeled as “dumb”.

Maridel performs very well in all her subjects except in language and communication.
She appears not to be highly motivated in doing tasks in language and communication, like
writing a news item, because at the outset she already thinks she cannot come up with a well-
written news item. The reason for the thinking that she cannot do as well in news writing, may
be due to pressure, since her parents are well-known journalists. Perhaps, too, she may have
an accurate concept of her abilities, where she is aware that she performs comparatively more
poorly in language and communication area. Thus far, specific situations bear on the level of
motivation individuals (or students) have.

LEARNING POINT: IDENTIFYING AND UNDERSTANDING MOTIVATION

PROBLEMS

As seen in the previous examples, identifying motivation problems requires the teacher
to be keen in observing students’ behavior. At the same time, he should also be able to
anticipate or make good guesses on what could be happening in the minds or feelings of. the
students, that may explain their actions or behavior. That way, the teacher is able to help
remedy motivational problems coming from unobservable thoughts and feelings, such as
levels of self-confidence, expectations of success, interest in academic work, feelings of
autonomy, alienation, achievement, anxiety, and fear of failure. Even if motivational problems
are evident from overt behavior, remedies require accurate diagnosis to identify the exact
problem. In such a case, the teacher may need the help of people or other school staff like
guidance counselor, or psychologist who have the necessary expertise to deal with this
problem.

Since motivation is an internal state, and is manifested only in outward behavior,

following are some steps the teachers can take to identify and understand better the Students’
problems in motivation.

a. Do careful and systematic observations of student behavior. Teachers should

observe all students in different subject areas, in a variety of contexts, and in a variety of tasks.
For example, a student works hard in pursuing a task when working in groups; but not as
much as when he works by himself alone. Or a student works hard on an assigned project when
specific instructions on how to do it are given; but not as much as when no specific instructions
are given. These differences will not be identified if observation is done only in one context.

b. Observe students’ emotional expressions and behaviors. Take a look at the

amount of enthusiasm students approach a task. Do they smile or get excited when doing the
task? Do they look depressed or bored or anxious while being engaged in the task? Do they
show pride in what they have accomplished? Do they show embarrassment or humiliation if
something goes wrong with the task? Emotions are important indicators and can reveal many
things about a student’s level of motivation.

c. Supplement observations with other strategies. Sometimes, observations of

behavior may not accurately determine what could be the problem with the amount of
motivation the students have. For example, a student may seem to be listening intently to what
the teacher is presenting, but in fact is planning what movie to watch after class. Or a student
who pretends to be taking down notes, but instead is writing a letter to a friend. Discussions

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with older students individually or in groups can reveal amount of motivation, especially if
they are encouraged to be open and honest. As a result of these discussions, the teacher might
find out that his high-performing students in fact do not like school work, but strive to get high
grades because of pressure from parents. Or the low-performing students whom the teacher
may think as not being interested at all to learn, may reveal experiencing feelings of failure or
disappointment if they are unable to finish the task.

d. Some students may not feel comfortable when they are interviewed face-to-
face by teachers, or if they are asked what their problems are. Hence, questionnaires
may be developed and administered to the students, on which they will write their responses,
helpful in identifying motivational problems.

It is easier for teachers to recognize the motivational problems of the low achievers. In
the same manner, motivation problems of high-achieving students who are not realizing their
full potential, often go unrecognized too. This is because of a prevailing assumption of teachers
that those who do well in school do not have motivation problems. Thus, teachers always rate
high achievers, as having high motivation. It is easy to overlook high-achieving students who
are not performing to their capacity. As long as students consistently finish their work and are
not disruptive, they are usually not considered as having motivation problems. As the specific
examples have shown, the teacher should bear in mind, that both high and:low performing
students can have problems in motivation.

D. Activities/Exercises

Following is a classroom situation. First, identify what the problem in motivation is

and second, give your suggestion on how to address the problem.

The class which has been divided into fours groups, A, B, C, and D are getting ready
to do an experiment in science. Each group has been assigned a leader. After giving the
instructions. Group A and D, immediately started to work. The members of Group B and C,
just sat there and seemed not to know how to start the activity. Group B members were
pointing to each other as to who should start, but nobody wanted to. In Group C, only the
leader was active, but the other members were not doing anything to participate in the
activity.

1. How do you characterize the motivation level of Group B members to do and finish the
experiment? What could be the “problem” as why they could not start the activity? Advance as
many reasons as possible.

2. What could be the “problem” in Group C? what can be done in Group C so the members
will help the group leader with the activity?

WPU-QSF-ACAD-82A Rev. 00 (09.15.20)

 3. Describe the level of motivation of members of Group A and D. It appears that the
group members have a high level of motivation. Think of factors that contribute to the
level of motivation the groups exhibited.

4. What can you suggest to be done so that groups A and D will persist in finishing the
activity?

Evaluation/Post Test (to be posted separately)

References

Facilitating Learner-Centered Teaching, Brawner, Dalisay G. Ed. D., Leus, Marcela

J., Ed. D.

WPU-QSF-ACAD-82A Rev. 00 (09.15.20)

Congratulations for completing this module!

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WPU-QSF-ACAD-82A Rev. 00 (09.15.20)

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WPU-QSF-ACAD-82A Rev. 00 (09.15.20)