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Kendra Luckey
Dr. Henderson
ED-205 Survey/Teaching
Motivation Theory Research Paper
Motivation to Matter
Motivation is that intrinsic want to strive to behave in a way. This desire is one that is acquire
intrinsically or extrinsically; intrinsic motivation is the desire that comes from within to behave
appropriately and extrinsic motivation means the motivation is only there for that time of the
event. Eggen shares that to find out if students are intrinsic or extrinsically motivated one would
ask: Do you study to get good grades or to comprehend the content? If the student replies that
they study primarily to get good grades, they are extrinsically motivated, whereas if they said
understanding the course content is more important, theyre intrinsically motivated (p. 288).
Motivation is directly correlated with the teaching and learning. There have been multiple studies
to investigate factors that can play an important role in creating classroom atmospheres that will
During a conference in 2014 in the Society of Teaching for Higher Learning, experimented
with instructional design and how it increases students motivation. Bates states, the theory and
practice of instructional design is complex; however, the Pedagogy in Action has an excellent
section on Teaching Methods that will apply the environmental factors of motivation, learning,
and contingency design and management (p 167). She believes that many techniques seen on
this facet through the internet can be used in distance learning since the instructional design is
based primarily on intrinsic motivation. She states, to employ these techniques in a face-to-face
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setting lends support to the extrinsically motivated learned by providing external conditions for
learning based on the internal capabilities of the learner (p. 168). The workshop at this
conference was showing how choosing instructional methods and different techniques that fit
There was an article investigating how E-learning environments are designed to enhanced
learner motivation and improving retention, while also applying motivational design strategies.
throughout the design, sales, and implementation cycles (p.33). There are many factors that go
beyond the teachers control that the student experiences however, one factor that is known to
decrease learner motivation is the load of cognitive material. Sweller stated that, when e-
learning contains both essential information related to the educational goal and additional
interesting and related but extraneous information or even musical accompaniment, cognitive
Jones investigated, the impact of collaborative and individualized student response system
based instruction on learner motivation (p. 477). There have been a few studies that suggest
SRS based instruction reinforces learner motivation. Jones shared that it has been shown that
80% of students receiving PI in a science course for non-science majors consistently reported
improved attitudes towards science over 4 years of data collection (Duncan 2005), which implies
increased learner motivation (p.479). This investigation provided information that student
became more interest not only in the content but in the overall course as well.
This research includes Dr. John Comings, the director of the National Center for the Study
of Adult Learning and Literacy (NCSALL) and principal investigator of the NCSALL study on
learner motivation (pg. 24). This research was completed with quantitative and qualitative
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research in both an innovative and traditional way. The students had to do some of the following:
answer in-depth interview questions, complete one-on-one interviews, set of activities, and
assigned classes with curriculum. Garner states, The persistence of the two sets of learners will
be compared. By using this design, the effect which the researchers hope will be stronger
motivation can be attributed to the intervention rather than some other variable (p. 24).
These studies use theories to investigate different facets of increasing a students motivation.
These studies presented a challenge to students and determining if the challenges were satisfying
emotionally. Many of these approaches promoted independence for the student, and this makes
them feel as though they have influence and control over their learning which leads them to be
motivated in an intrinsic way. All four of these studies allowed the students to become curious
with the content they were studying, which increases their intrinsic motivation as well. Every
student has their own learning preference; that is why it is important for us to mix up that
learning in different forms such as group work or visual learning. The management system that is
most effective is to the environment to work best. Management should not be centered on the
teacher or just the children; both should work cohesively together and do not revolve around one
another.
In a perfect teaching world, students would be intrinsically motivated to and our activities
would be a cohesive flow. Certain instruction is not as simulating for some as it is for other
students. According to Eggen, there are four different views for understanding a students
motivation which are the following: behaviorist, cognitive, sociocultural, and humanistic theories
(p.396). The behaviorist view is the idea that change is observed behavior once there has been an
experience. The cognitive theories suggest they students are motivated through the desire to
understand and being able to make sense of what they just experienced. Sociocultural theories
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accentuate the role of social interactions towards motivation, and how a student participate in the
classroom with activities and how they contribute to the classroom learning overall. The last
theory that our course text discusses is the humanist approach. The humanist approach
emphasizes the whole person and the motivation to fulfill their true potential as an individual.
After taking the time to investigate theories, I believe that my teaching method will most likely
I believe that the purpose of education is to not only educate the minds of my students, but
also to create good citizens both in and outside of the classroom. In my opinion, it is just as
important for me to shape the student as a person, as it is to teach them the curriculum. Today,
state tests often determine the success of a student. As a future teacher, I do not believe that a
state test should be the only determining factor of whether a student is successful or not in the
classroom. I believe that it should be the school, as well as the teachers responsibility, to provide
a standard for the students. In that standard, it should include that students are to give their best
effort in class, while also being an upstanding citizen of the school community.
Most people think to make a change in the world they should buy a plane ticket, pack a bag,
and prepare themselves for a culture shocking third world country. While this act is noble, I see it
as an escape. Many people can run away from the problems close to home. Many people can
assist those that have nothing, and would be grateful for any assistance. So why am I more
qualified than a world traveler on the hunt to make the world a better place? For me the answer
is simple. I strive to make the world a better place close to home by motivating my students to
Works Cited
Bates, C. F. (2015). Learner Characteristics and Motivation: How to Achieve Efficient and
Eggen, P., Kauchak, D. (2016). Educational Psychology: Windows on Classrooms, 10th Edition.
Jones, M., Antonenko, P., & Greenwood, C. (2012). The impact of collaborative and
National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy, B. M. (1998). Learner Motivation.
Focus on Basics.