Analysis of teachers and learners attitude to motivation
We looked through the literature, reviewed scholars’ opinions on the role of motivation in learning classes, collected data from a great number of school, lyceum, college and university and institute teachers and learners about their attitude to motivation and motivated and unmotivated learners in their classes. Data collecting was done with questionnaires to both teachers and learners, we also discussed with the teachers during breaks, chay-chats, after-class discussions. We are grateful to those teachers who were eager to share their opinions, life experience, work experience in order to help us clarify some points, solve some problems and clear out some data concerning to the problem. We should admit that we faced a great deal of challenges while compiling the necessary material. Most of our teachers do not know the importance of motivation, some of them never think of it before, some do not want to spend time and effort to it, some just think it is useless. During data collection period we tried to find answers to the questions which can give us some ideas about teachers and learners attitude towards motivation. Our questionnaires have the following format.
Questionnaire for teachers
Name _________ Work place ____________ work experience _____
Are there any learners who do not speak in your class? If yes, how can you involve such kind of students? _____________________________________________________________
What is motivation for you? ________________________________________________
Which type of motivation do you think more powerful? And why?
Extrinsic
Intrinsic ________________________________________________________________
Can you give examples for extrinsic motivation? ________________________________
Have you ever used extrinsic motivation in your classroom? If yes, what was the result? ____________________________________________________________
What do you think, is the role of extrinsic motivation in developing learners speaking? ____________________________________________________________
Which extrinsic rewards are more effective? Why?
Money
Prizes
Grades
Positive feedback
What kind of tasks do you usually organize to motivate your learners to speak? ______________________________________________________________
Questionnaire for learners
Name__________Age_____ Place of study__________ Branch of study____________
Are you interested in learning English? Why? __________________________________
What kind of situations make you be more active and speak? ______________________
Can you describe one of your lessons which you were so motivated and enjoyed participating the activity? _________________________________________________________
What do you think, what made you be motivated? _______________________________
What do you think what kind of tasks involve all students to the lesson? _____________________________________________________________________________
If you have a chance to change the English lessons, how would you do it? Please give your ideas with examples? ________________________________________________________
What do you expect from teacher to take after each lesson or activity? Why? _____________________________________________________________________________
What kinds of rewards encourage you to read a text or involve into lesson? Why?
Money
Prize
Grade
Positive feedback ________________________________________________________
What is your role in pair and group works? Why?
Leader
Not so active
Mostly keep silence _______________________________________________________
Analyzing the answers to questionnaires and conversations we gathered ideas about the attitude to motivation among karakalpak teachers and learners and in common they look like the following.
Most of teachers know what motivation is and why does it matter. From their point of view motivation can affect how students approach school in general, how they relate to teachers, how much time and effort they devote to their studies, how much support they seek when they’re struggling, how they perform on tests, and many other aspects of education. If students aren’t motivated, it is difficult, sometimes either impossible, to improve their academic achievement, no matter how good the teacher, curriculum or school is. Moreover, unmotivated students can disengage other students from academics, which can affect the environment of an entire classroom or school. Higher motivation to learn has been linked not only to better academic performance, but to greater conceptual understanding, satisfaction with school, self-esteem, social adjustment, and school completion rates.
Teachers say that motivation often declines as students’ progress from elementary through high school. Upwards of 40 % of high school students are disengaged from learning, are inattentive, exert little effort on school work, and report being bored in school. The lack of motivation has serious consequences. For example, unmotivated students can drop out of school.
70 % of teachers recognize two major types of motivation: intrinsic and extrinsic. Intrinsic motivation is the desire to do or achieve something because one truly wants to and takes pleasure or sees value in doing so. Extrinsic motivation is the desire to do or achieve something not so much for the enjoyment of the activity itself, but because it will produce a certain result. The difference between the two is more like a spectrum than a divide; any action can be motivated by a combination of intrinsic and extrinsic factors, and the same person may be motivated differently in different contexts.
Students’ beliefs can affect their motivation. For example, students who believe they have a limited capacity to learn or feel they are unlikely to succeed often have problems with motivation. In a similar vein, students who conceptualize intelligence as a fixed quantity that one either has or doesn’t have tend to be less motivated than students who view knowledge as something that can change and grow.
Most of teachers suggest major dimensions that contribute to student motivation, and we divided them into four types. At least one of these dimensions must be satisfied for a student to be motivated. The more dimensions that are met, and the more strongly they are met, the greater the motivation will be.
Competence — The student believes he or she has the ability to complete the task.
Control/autonomy — The student feels in control by seeing a direct link between his or her actions and an outcome and retains autonomy by having some choice about whether or how to undertake the task.
Interest/value — The student has some interest in the task or sees the value of completing it.
Relatedness — Completing the task brings the student social rewards, such as a sense of belonging to a classroom or other desired social group or approval from a person of social importance to the student.
The interplay of these dimensions along with other dynamics such as school climate and home environment is quite complex and varies not only among different students but also within the same student in different situations. Still, this basic framework can be helpful in designing or analyzing the impact of various strategies to increase students’ motivation.
Some teachers and learners shared us with their finding concerning the rewards. They learned that schools and districts of the world have sought to motivate students to work harder by providing them with money or other rewards. Examples include programs that give cash to students for earning good grades, reading books, attending after-school study sessions, demonstrating good attendance and behavior, or attaining a passing score or higher score on an important exam. Examples of non-cash rewards include giving cellphones and phone minutes to students for good behavior, test scores, attendance, or homework completion; giving pizza coupons to students who make good grades; or awarding students who make the honor roll with certificates they can use for special privileges like an early release from school. Teachers think that the concept of providing rewards as motivation is controversial, and the results are mixed, or in some cases unevaluated.
On the whole, teachers think that reward programs can have positive effects if they are implemented thoughtfully, carefully, and within a set of guidelines, and if they address the four dimensions of motivation mentioned above. Rewarding specific actions that students can control, such as completing homework, yields better results than rewarding accomplishments that may seem beyond their reach or out of their control. Rewards that are too large can be counterproductive because students may feel pressured into taking part.
Analysis of data collection gave us opportunity to make some conclusions about developing learners motivation. We learned that student motivation is not a fixed quality but is something that can be influenced in positive or negative ways by schools, parents, and communities and by individuals’ own experiences. Research offers ideas on how and why students are motivated and what types of policies and practices hold promise for improving motivation. Improving student motivation cannot be accomplished by schools alone. Efforts to develop motivation should begin early and address social factors that can gap motivation. Partnerships among schools, families, and communities can be effective in creating the conditions that develop and support motivation in children.
References:
- Amabile, T. M., DeJong, W., & Lepper, M. R. (1976). Effects of externally imposed deadlines on subsequent intrinsic motivation. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 34, 92–98.
- Benware, C., & Deci, E. L. (1984). Quality of learning with an active versus passive motivational set. American Educational Research Journal, 21, 755–765.
- Deci, E. L. (1975). Intrinsic motivation. New York: Plenum.
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