The Importance of Motivation
Motivation is perhaps the most crucial element of a child’s education. According to Michael B. Brown, Ph. D at East Carolina University, an academically motivated student is a child that “wants to learn, likes learning-related activities, and believes school is important” (Brown, 1998). Thus a motivated student and a smart student are not categorically equivalent. While the correlation between intelligence and achievement is higher than the correlation between achievement and any other factor, the relationship is not perfect. For instance, 10 students with identical IQs will demonstrate variability in achievement on similar and dissimilar learning tasks (Andrews, 2003).
Motivation is one of the primary causes of the range of scores. Thus, it is logical to conclude that in order to maximize a student’s potential, and in turn the educational experience, a student must be motivated. With the knowledge that motivation must precede success, it is clear that those in charge of educational planning should attempt to maximize motivation with the forthcoming technological advancements.
The Nature of Motivation
Before educators can begin to map out a plan to stimulate motivation via the use of technology, they must first have a sufficient understanding of the nature of motivation itself (Marlow, 1999). Motivation is not a static entity, but rather a constantly changing intrinsic essence that is continually being influenced by way of internal and external forces. As young children, we have a natural sense of motivation. This can be each time “a baby struggles to reach a toy, learn to walk or eat without help” (Brown, 1998). All of these are examples of motivation to learn. However, this natural inq...
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United States Department of Education. (n.d.). Technology and Education Reform. Retrieved April 6, 2004 from http://www.ed.gov/pubs/EdReformStudies/EdTech/index.html
The site contains a very detailed description of the various changes in the classroom sparked by the advent of new technologies.
Ysseldyke, J. (2002). Cooperative learning. University of Minnesota College of Education and Human Development. Retrieved April 29, 2004, from http://education.umn.edu/research/ResearchWorks/coop-learning.htm
Ysseldyke detailed the five externalities of cooperative learning. He also described how these attributes influenced motivation.
Weiner, R. (2000). More Technology Training for Teachers. New York Times. Retrieved on April 22, 2004 from http://www.nytimes.com/2000/11/22/technology/22EDUCATION.html?ex=1083211200&en=740fa1d60417ec03&ei=5070
Winn, William. Toward a rationale and theoretical basis for educational technology. ETR&D: Vol. 37 (pp. 35-46).
“COOPERATIVE LEARNING (CL), THE Instructionaluse of small groups in order toachieve common learning goals via cooperation,has made an almost unprecedented impact in educationduring the last two decades.According toJohnson, and Smith (1995)CL is oneof the most thoroughly researched areas in educationalpsychology. As they assert,We know more about cooperative learning than weknow about lecturing, age grouping, departmentalization,starting reading at age six, or the 50-minuteperiod. We know more about cooperative learning than about almost any other aspect of education.”
Motivation – the psychological force that enables action – is considered to be an important factor in the process of achieving any kind of goal. It is an abstract concept that can have a different meaning to each person and can be used in several fields. Johnstone (1999) considers motivation as a stimulant for achieving a specific target. Similarly, Ryan and Deci (2000) claimed that to be motivated means to progress or to be in motion to do something. Motivation is closely related to the field of education, since it is an essential factor in the process of learning (Brewer & Burgess, 2005 in Sepora & Moghaddas, 2012). (Study 6, p.4)
This article provided information about the future and how technology will change the way we look at education. It gave examples of technology that has already changed classrooms.
"Research Center: Technology in Education." Education Week American Education News Site of Record. Web. 19 Nov. 2011. .
“Motivation is a complex part of human psychology and behavior that influences how individuals choose to invest their time, how much energy they exert in any given task, how they think and feel about the task, and how long they persist at the task” (Urdan & Schoenfelder, 2006). The biggest question educators face in today’s classroom is what motivates a student to do something and why? Virtually all students are motivated in one way or another. Research of student motivation suggests a theory that emphasizes a social-cognitive perspective. The cognition of students regarding academic work are influenced by social factors, such as messages from the teacher about the difficulty of the task, the perceived abilities of classmates, and the information about the importance of learning the material (Urdan & Schoenfelder, 2006). In this paper the focus will primarily be on those elements within the classroom that influence student motivation and engagement.
Courville, K. (2011). Technology and its use in Education: Present Roles and Future Prospects. Presented at the 2011 Recovery School District Technology Summit. Baton Rouge, LA.
Many researches have been conducted to investigate what motivates students for better academic performance and whether it has a correlation with achievement motivation.
Scarnati, J. T. (2001). Cooperative learning: make groupwork work. New Directions for Teaching and Learning, 67(Fall), 71-82.
To a certain extent it can be said that without a sense of motivation, whether it be intrinsic or extrinsic, a child’s ability to learn and reach their potential is greatly lessened. Motivation is best described as an internal state that not only arouses and directs behaviour but also helps to maintain it (Woolfolk & Margetts, 2013). Motivation not only plays a large role in a child’s learning ability, it also shapes a student’s interests and enjoyment of school and study (Martin, 2003). For both pre-service teachers and expert teachers it is easy to see that if a student possesses high motivation to learn, their behaviour towards their school work is more positive and in turn leads to higher academic success, whereas a student with little to no motivation will exhibit negative behavi...
Technology enables students and teachers to have a fast and easy way to acquire unlimited access to tons of information. With all of the useful technologies, the curriculum is bound to change in endless ways, creating more opportunity for learning.
It is first important to understand how motivation works in the classroom. There are infinite procedures teachers use to achieve desired effects from their students, but there are general patterns these motivational tools follow. In order for teachers to communicate with their students, they must identify with their needs on an individual basis (Gawel, 1997). This proposal is much akin to Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, which states five basic needs that must be met in order to achieve full motivation. These needs, in ascending order, are as follows: physiological, security, love and belongingness, esteem and self-respect, and self-actualization (Gawel, 1997). Each of these needs details a very important issue in motivation inside the classroom and out.
The education world has been greatly influenced by rapidly changing technology and the increasing availability of information. Schools have advanced by leaps and bounds when it comes to incorporating technology into the learning environment, however, many more advances need to be made. In all areas of the country, educators are trying to help students keep up with technology, but there are more changes that are essential for preparing the next generation for the future.
Raths, David. "THE Journal." : Technological Horizons in Education --. David Raths, 28 Mar. 2012. Web. 10 Dec. 2013.
Motivation is really important tool in a learning environment. Also motivation effects student learning and their behavior as well. It directs behavior towards particular targets. Also it effect the decision which students takes. In motivation mainly we have two types which is intrinsically and extrinsically being motivated. For example: when a student is intrinsically motivated they just do it for themselves not because of the reward that they will get back. It’s just because they have their own interest and they enjoy doing that. On the other side, when a student is extrinsically motivated they just do it for the reward that they will get. That’s why in learning process it’s important that each student should