THEORIES ON FACTORS AFFECTING

MOTIVATION

Rodrigo P. Panganiban

DIT 1A

Module No. 20
 Module 22
Topic Outline:

 Attribution theory
 Self-efficacy theory
 Self-determination and self-regulation theory

Abstraction/Generalization
There is currently no unified theory to explain the origin or elements of intrinsic
motivation. Most explanations combine elements of Bernard Weiner’s attribution
theory, Bandura’s work on self-efficacy, Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, William
Glasser’s choice theory, and other studies relating to goal orientation.

1. Attribution theory
What is the attribution theory?
A theory that supposes that one attempts to understand the behavior of others
by attributing feelings, beliefs, and intentions to them.
it explains that we attribute our successes or failure or other events to several
factors.

1. Locus (“place”): Internal versus external. If your student traces his good grade to
his ability and to his hard work, he attributes his good grade to internal factors. If
your student, however, claims that his good grade is due to the effective
teaching of his teacher or to the adequate library facilities, he attributes his good
grades to factors external to himself.
2. Stability: stable versus unstable. If you attribute your poor eyesight to what you
have inherited from your parents, then you are attributing the cause of your
sickness to something stable, something that cannot change because it is in your
genes. If you attribute it to excessive watching of TV, then you are claiming that
your poor eyesight is caused by an unstable factor, something that can change.
(You can prolong or shorten your period of watching TV).
3. Controllability: controllable versus uncontrollable. If your student claims his poor
academic performance is due to his teacher’s ineffective teaching strategy, he
attributes his poor performance to a factor beyond his control. If, however, your
student admits that his poor class performance is due to his poor study habits and
low Motivation, he attributes the event to factors which are very much within his
control.

How does attribution effect motivation?

If your student attributes his/her success or failure to something within him/her and
therefore is within his/her control or to something unstable and therefore, can be
changed s/he is more likely to be motivated. If, however. Your student traces his/her
success to something outside him/her and therefore beyond his/her control s/he is likely
to less motivated.

This is something interesting. People tent to attribute their success to internal causes
(e.g. high ability, hard work) and their failures to external causes (e.g. luck, behaviors of
others. Why so?)

2. Self-efficacy theory
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, fulfill role expectations,
or meet a challenging situation successfully. When your students believe that they have
the ability to perform learning activities successfully, they are more likely intrinsically
motivated to do such learning activities. The secret, therefore, to enhancing intrinsic
motivation is enhancing our students’ sense of self-efficacy. Social cognitive theorists
identified several self-efficacy-enhancing strategies:

3. “Self-Determination and Self-Regulation theories.

What is self-determination and Self-regulation theories?
Is a macro theory of human motivation and personality that concerns people’s growth.
It focuses to which an individual’s behavior is self-motivated.

Self-determination-a sense of self-determination is demonstrated in capacity for

self-regulation.

Self-Regulation – refers to a person’s ability to master himself.

What are indicators of self-regulation?
They are the abilities to:
Set standards for oneself
Monitor and evaluate one’s own behavior against such standards and
Impose consequences on oneself for one’s successes or failures.

How does self-regulation relate to motivation?

If one is capable of self-regulation. Thus, he is not only capable of his behavior but also
of his own learning.

 Goal-setting
 Planning
 Attention control
 Application of learning strategies
 Self-monitoring
 Self-evaluation