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Unit 1: Focus on the 21st Century Learner

C. Motivation in Facilitating Learning

Estimated Duration for Study:

MOTIVATION IN FACILITATING LEARNING

Learning Outcomes:

At the end of the lesson, the student must have:

a) demonstrated knowledge on the theories of motivation and its application to

facilitate learning;
b) critically analyzed resources that have been conducted and discuss the impact
on various types of motivational processes.
c) designed motivational technique appropriate for the topic.

Activity:

How motivated are you? Here is a test. Score yourself by checking the appropriate
column.
Legend:
1 – Never
2 – Seldom
3 – Sometimes
4 – Often
5 – Always

Behavior 1 2 3 4 5
1. I study even when there is no quiz/test.
2. I enjoy working on homework.
3. I look forward to school days.
4. I read for learning, not only for grades.
5. In ever school task I do, I always do my best.
6. I give/do more than what is required
7. I listen intently to my teacher’s lecture and instructions.
8. I participate actively in class.
9. I like homework.
10. When something is not clear, I ask questions to clarify.
11. I do not allow myself to be discouraged by my classmates’
unfavourable remarks.
12. My teacher’s unfavourable remarks do not turn me off,
rather they challenge me to do my best.
13. I believe that success can be reached by anyone who works
hard.
14. I always feel about excited about learning

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15. I submit course requirements not only for the sake of

compliance
16. I study not only for grades but more for learning.
17. I believe that nothing is difficult if we spend hours of
learning it.
18. I believe that how much I learn from class depends
ultimately on me.
19. I believe I can cope with my teacher’s expectation.
20. I am always eager to learn new things.
21. I am very much interested to improve myself.
22. I read outside my assignments and lessons because it helps
me improve myself.
23. I love to be in the company of people who inspire me to
keep on growing.
24. I avoid people who have no desire to improve themselves.
25. I see the relevance of my lessons to the realization of my
dream in life.
26. I am willing to give up satisfaction of an immediate goal for
the sake of a more important remote goal. E.g. give up
watching TV in order to study.
Total per column
Grand TOTAL

Analysis

Interpret your scores:

 One hundred thirty (130) is the perfect score. If you got 65, that means you are
midway but not highly or very motivated. The closer you are to 130, the better
motivated you are.
 Do you agree with your score? In what items did you score comparatively lower?
What message do you get from those items where you scored low?
 When can you say that a student is highly motivated to learn? What are the
indicators of a student’s level of motivation?

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Abstraction

All of us are motivated in one way or another. We differ in levels, hence high
or low manifestations are easily observed. This is true mostly with students who are
naturally curious and eager to gain information. Associated with teaching, motivation
is the key that could spell student interest or indifference in any learning activity.
One of the greatest challenges that teachers face is how to motivate students.

What is Motivation?

Motivation is an inner drive that causes a person to do something and

persevere at something.It is the strength of the drive toward an action. It refers to
initiation, direction, intensity and persistence of behavior. When we get motivated to
do something, it is not enough that we start working at that thing and we get
attracted toward that thing. Our attraction to that thing becomes so intense that we
persist working on that same thing through thick and thin.

Student motivation has to do with students’ desire to participate in the

learning process. It also concerns the reasons or goals that underlie their
involvement in academic activities. Although students may be equally motivated to
perform the task, the sources of their motivation may differ.

How do we describe a person who is motivated?

A person who is motivated is excited about learning and accomplishing things

He/She takes initiative to undertake learning task, assignments and projects without
being pushed by his/her parents or teachers. He/She has goals to accomplished and
dreams to realize.

The following are the indicators of a highly motivated learner?

 Willing to give up the satisfaction of immediate goals for the sake of more
important remote goals.
 Willing to give up joining his/her barkada to watch a movie in order to
prepare thoroughly for final examinations.
 Learns to enjoy learning and learns much more than one who is not
motivated
 Persist and perseveres in his/her studies even when things turn out to be
difficult.
 Does not give up easily.

Reflect on yourself and identify what indicator do you possessed?

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Examine the following statements:

 “How can I ever perform? I have a very low IQ. All my brothers and sisters
are as dumb as I am.”
 “I dropped out of my classes because of my failing grades, kasi nabarkada
ako.”
 “How can I be motivated to study when what my parents want me to be is
not what I want to be.”
 “I have to perform in class. My parents and teachers expect me to perform.
All my brothers and sisters are performing, nakakahiya naman kung di ako
magperform nang mabuti.”

Based on the statement above, to which are quality success and happiness attributed?
To something within a person’s control or something outside a person’s control?

Classification of Motivation

Intrinsic motivation – when the source of motivation is

from within the person himself/herself or the activity itself.

Extrinsic motivation– when that which motivates a

person is someone or something outside him/her.

Intrinsic motivation is shown in the enjoyment of the

activity itself and the inner conviction of the learner that such
things are the right things to do in order to realize a personal
goal or a life dream. Extrinsic motivation plays an
indispensable function when a learner is not yet intrinsically
motivated. It includes factors such as rewards, incentives,
praises or words of encouragements, approval of significant
others like teachers, parents, peer group or their opposites
such as fear of punishment, withdrawal ofprivileges, tenure
and ostracism.

Motivational Theories to Learning

The Cognitive and achievement theory View on Motivation

 Cognitive and achievement approaches to motivation examine how factors like

achievement goals andcognitive dissonance influence motivation.
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 According to the achievement approach to motivation, the need for achievement

drives accomplishment and performance and thereby motivates our behavior. People
are motivated by different goals related to achievement, such as mastery or
performance goals.
 Cognitive approaches to motivation focus on how a person’s cognition’s – and
especially cognitive dissonance – influence their motivation.
 The theory of cognitive dissonance proposes that people have a motivational drive to
reduce contradictory cognitions by either changing or justifying their attitudes,
beliefs and behaviors.
 Cognitive dissonance refers to a conflict or anxiety resulting from inconsistencies
between one’s beliefs and one’s action or other beliefs.

Cognitive Theories of Motivation

1. Expectancy Theory – explain the why and how an individual chooses one
behavioral option over other.
2. Goal–Setting Theory – states the importance of creating goals in motivating a
person.

Expectancy is a variable that represents the belief that the effort (E) of an individual
is an outcome of a need to attain the performance (P) goals that he desires. The theory
states that there are three factors that influence the expectancy perception of a person.

 Self efficacy – the individual’s belief regarding his own ability to perform a
specific behavior successfully.
 Goal difficulty – occurs when the desired performance goals are too high that
might result to low expectancy perceptions.
 Control – the degree of a person’s perceived control over his performance.

A sense of high self-efficacy means a high sense of competence. Self efficacy is the
belief that one has the necessary capabilities to perform a task, fulfil role expectations, or
meet a challenging situation successfully.

The following are self-efficacy enhancing strategies

 Make sure students master the basic skills.
 Help them make noticeable progress on difficult task.
 Communicate confidence in student’s abilities through both words and
actions.
 Expose them to successful peers.

Goal Setting Theory

Goal setting theory was proposed by Edwin Locke in the 1960’s. It explains that goal
setting has an influence on task performance. Specific and challenging goals are more likely
to motivate a person and lead to a better execution of task, whereas vague and easy goals
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C. Motivation in Facilitating Learning
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results to poor task performance.Therefore... the goals should be SMART, (Specific,

Measurable, Achievable, Result oriented and Time-bound) and challenging. It is important
that students’ learning is monitored, however simply monitoring results is not enough.
Students should be given feedback about their performance.

Learning Goals vs Performance Goals

The goals we set for ourselves affect our level of motivation. Learning goals is a
Desire to acquire additional knowledge or master new skills whereas performance goals is a
desire to look good and receive favourable judgements from others or else look bad and
receive unfavourable judgements.

Goal setting is effective when the following major elements are present:
 Goal acceptance
 Specificity
 Challenge
 Performance monitoring
 Performance feedback

Behavioral View on Motivation

In behaviorist theory on learning, the external environment influences more on

motivation – such as rewards and punishment

Behaviorist use two concepts:

1. Rewards – an object or event supplied as a consequences of a particular behavior
that we think is attractive
2. Incentive – an object or event that we think motivates a person’s behavior.

Example:
A teacher believes that a good grade is a reward for those who have done their
assignment.
A student who value good grades view it as an incentive

Understanding student motivation requires probing student’s view about what they
count as incentive and distinguishing these from what we may think are rewards.If we are
consistently reinforced for certain behavior, we may develop habits or tendencies to act in
certain way. Providing grades for learning or punishment for misbehavior is an attempt to
motivate students by extrinsic means.

Therefore... from behavioral perspective, motivation is simply the anticipation of

reward.A person is driven to acquire positive reinforcement, and driven by previous
experiences of reward, we act accordingly to achieve more reinforcement.
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C. Motivation in Facilitating Learning
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Performance in task and the motivation to do so may be caused by external forces

such as parents, teachers, peers educational requirements, job specification, etc.

Types of Behavioral Theory on Motivation

Reinforcement theory ofMotivation was proposed by BF Skinner based on the idea of

Thorndike’s ‘Law of Effect”. It statesthat individual behavior is a function of its
consequences. Individual’s behavior with positive consequences tends to be repeated and
behavior with negative consequences tends not to be repeated.

Incentive Theory on Motivation refers to incentive or motive to do something.

The most common incentive is reward. Rewards can be tangible and intangible and is
presented right after the occurrence of the action or behavior that one is trying to correct or
cause to happen.If actions are positively received, people are more likely to act in this
manner, or if negatively received people are less likely to met in the manner.

Humanistic Theory on Motivation

Humanistic theory on motivation is based on the idea that people have strong
cognitive reasons to perform various actions.People are basically good, and have an innate
need to make themselves and the world better. It emphasizes the personal worth of the
individual, the centrality of human values, and the creative, active nature of human
beings.Humanistic theory on motivation is famously illustrated in Abraham Maslow’s
Hierarchy of Needs, which presents different motivations at different levels. Physiological or
Biological needs, Safety & security needs, Love and Belongingness, Esteem Needs, and Self
– Actualization

Implication of Motivational Theories of Learning in teaching and learning

Cognitive Theory

Cognitive dissonance
Whenever you want to change a student’s attitude, first identify the beliefs at the
heart of that attitude; when you have a fairly clear picture induce cognitive dissonance by
producing powerful information and arguments which counter those beliefs. The degree of
cognitive dissonance should be as high as possible for the attitudinal change we purport to
bring about to be effective. For example, when dealing with a misbehaving child, to simply
tell them off for what they did will be way less effective than raising their awareness of the
ways their conduct affected others negatively and explaining why is morally/ethically wrong.

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Cognitive Evaluation Theory

We need to ensure that before engaging students in challenging tasks that they may
perceive as being beyond their levels of competence we prepare them adequately,
cognitively and emotionally. For instance, in language learning, before carrying out a difficult
listening comprehension task, students should be exposed several times to any unfamiliar
vocabulary or other language item contained in the to-be-heard recording so as to facilitate
the task. Moreover, modelling strategies that may facilitate the tasks and giving them the
opportunity to experience some success in similar tasks through those very strategies may
increase their sense of self-efficacy; this will give them greater expectancy of success and a
feeling of empowerment which will feed into their sense of competency and control.

Goal-related theory
Instead of setting goals for your students in a top-down fashion, involve them
actively in the process of learning. Moreover, help the students narrow down the goals set
as much as possible and gauge them as accurately as possible to their existing level of
competence. E.g.: instead of simply telling a student to check his next essay more
accurately next time around and give them a lengthy error checklist, sit down with them and
ask them to choose three challenging error categories that they would like to focus on and
to aim to attain 80, 90 or even 100% accuracy in those categories in their essay due the
following week. Make sure that the knowledge required by the learners to prevent or fix the
target errors is learnable and that the students are provided with learning strategies which
will assist them in achieving the set goals.

Humanistic Theory
Maslow hierarchy of human needs affects students’ performance. Students who are
hungry or fearful may find it difficult to concentrate on their studies. Students who are
rejected and isolated may refuse to participate fully in class activities. In the same manner,
teacher-student relationships are significant in satisfying students’ needs. Student need to
feel that they are worthy of respect, from both themselves and others. The respect must be
based on actual achievement.

Motivational Techniques

Keep Students Active and Engaged

When students are interacting and engaged, they

won't have to time to get bored. Choose students at random
to answer questions, and make it understood that you value
their input and ideas. Student interaction and sharing
enhances instructional time and prepares students to
function more effectively as a body of learners. We must recognize the importance of these
dynamics and find ways to celebrate student intelligence.

Allow for Creativity and Variety

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C. Motivation in Facilitating Learning
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Assigning a piece of writing? Allow students to

pick their own genre—such as reports, poems, creative
writing stories, plays, or songs—when assigning a
topic. When students can pick their favourite form of
writing, they'll stay intrinsically motivated.

Create a Class Newspaper

Inspire interest in current events by using a local paper as a model for reporting
class events. Class projects in every subject area can be presented as news articles with
headers, bylines, lead-ins, bodies, and summary paragraphs. Word games, weather,
horoscopes, and after-school activities can be integrated with whatever content is being
taught.

Get Out of the Classroom

Holding class or even just a short discussion in a new environment, whether a park,
museum, or the school library, is a great way to stoke student interest. When you return to
your classroom, they may see a new approach to a problem or assignment.

Create a Competition

Participate in a competition. As long as there is

appreciation for everyone's best effort and not all
attention is placed solely on the winner, a competition
can be a great way to create excitement.

Offer Differentiated Instruction

Knowing that you'll have students of differing abilities in your classroom, craft your
lessons for everyone—taking into consideration the different ability levels.

Provide Feedback Promptly, Frequently, and Efficiently

Students must be able to see a direct connection between any effort or completed
task (such as homework) and a response from you, both verbal and written. Make sure you
mention each student's personal progress, rather than comparing his or her work with
others in the class.

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Provide Multiple Opportunities for Students to Set Goals

Students should have multiple opportunities to set

their own academic goals. Invite them to establish
obtainable goals for a lesson, a unit, or even for the whole
year. Ask them what they would like to learn about a topic
and what they think they must do to learn that material.
Psychologists tell us that the goals we set for ourselves (as
opposed to the goals others set for us) are intrinsically more
motivational. We're more inclined to pursue those goals and
relish in the success that comes about when we achieve them.

Share Accomplishments

Provide numerous opportunities for students to share their accomplishments with the
class and the class to share their achievements with the larger school community. Use skits,
plays, readers theater productions, library displays, bulletin boards, a class newspaper or
newsletter, or other media to promote the efforts of the whole classroom.

Finally, be an enthusiastic teacher and show you are interested and enjoying what
you are doing. Enthusiasm is contagious.

Assessment/Application

1. Identify examples of extrinsic motivation and intrinsic motivation based on the

items of the questionnaire checklist.

2. Which type of motivation is more beneficial? Intrinsic or Extrinsic? Why?

3. Between learning goals and performance goals, with which type do you identify
yourself? Explain your answer.

4. Why do people tend to attribute their successes to internal causes and their
failure to external causes?

5. Give your opinion/comment on this statement, “Success has many fathers; failure
or defeat is an orphan.”

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Final Task . . . .

Choose three (3) topics from different subjects and design what motivational
technique suited to each topic. ( Submit your answers in the google classroom).

Topic 1. Main Topic : Philippine History

Sub-topic: President of the Philippines

Motivational Technique:
( Describe the motivational technique suited to the topic above)

References:

Lucas,MR&Corpuz,B. “Facilitating Learning: A Metacognitive Process.

LorimarPublishing, C.2007

Vega, V. & Prieto, N. “Facilitating Learning”. Books Atbp. Publishing Corp. C. 2012

Salandanan, G., PhD. “Methods of Learning”. 2 nded. Lorimar Publishing Inc.

C. 2012

Conti, Gianfranco, Phd. “Implication of Motivational Theories of Learning in teaching-

learning. July 27, 2015. Retrieved at gianfrancoconti.com

Top Ten Motivation Tips for the Classroom. March 8, 2012. Retrieved at
www.teachervision.com

Facilitating Learner-Centered Teaching

Unit 1. Focus on the 21st Century Learner
C. Motivation in Facilitating Learning