How Motivation Affects Learning
Motivation has several effects on learning and behaviour. Before we move ahead ,lets have some elementary information on learning and behaviour.
The dictionary definition of LEARNING is the acquisition of knowledge or skills through study, experience, or being taught. Behaviour means the way in which one acts or conducts oneself, especially towards others.
Motivation directs behaviour towards particular goals which can be anything like learning a new topic or a subject for a student. In other words, Motivation starts an effort, directs and sustains behaviour of an individual or a student ; it gets individual moving in a particular direction, and keeps them going.
It determines whether they pursue a task enthusiastically and wholeheartedly or apathetically.
Motivation helps in behavioural changes by below factors
- Direction of the effort.
- Amount of Effort in terms of short term and long term.
- Persistency of effort in situation where situations are at odds or chips are down
- Motivation increases the amount of effort and energy that learners spend
Motivation is reflected in personal effort in cognitive, emotional, and behavioural engagement .
Motivation affects cognitive processes. Cognition includes basic mental processes such as sensation, attention, and perception. Cognition also includes complex mental operations such as memory, learning, language use, problem solving, decision making, reasoning, and intelligence.
Motivation increases students’ time on task, an important factor affecting their learning and achievement.
Motivation determines which consequences are reinforcing and punishing.
The more learners are motivated to achieve academic success, the more they will be proud of an result. The more learners want to be accepted and respected by peers, the more they will value membership in the “in” group and be distressed by the ridicule of of colleagues, community members etc/
To a school boy uninterested in sports not making to school team is no big deal while , teen whose life revolves around football, making or not making the team may be a consequence of monumental importance.
How Motivation Affects Behaviour
Motivation enhances performance
Motivation ensures a goal-directed behaviour, effort and energy, initiation and persistence, cognitive processing an processing consequences.
Individuals are more likely to begin a task they actually want to do. They are also more likely to continue working at it until they have completed it, even if they are sometimes interrupted or frustrated in the process.
Almost all individuals are motivated in one way or another. One individual may be keenly interested in his area of work and can do exceptionally well in his domain. Another individual or student may be doing totally different work with a same background can still be exception in his chosen field.
Still another may be focused on athletics, excelling in physical education classes, etc .
Situational motivation
When we talk about how the environment can enhance a learner’s motivation to learn particular things or behave in particular ways, we are talking about situational motivation.
Situational motivation is a phenomenon in which features of an immediate environment can enhance motivation to learn particular things or behave in particular ways. Teachers can do many things to create a classroom environment that motivates students to learn and behave in ways that promote their long-term success.
It is totally a different topic that why we need MOTIVATED teachers in schools to ensure that they understand their students’ motivation.
Motivation affects what learners pay attention to and how effectively they process it.
Types of motivation
There are two types of motivation, extrinsic and intrinsic
Extrinsic is determined by the individual’s outside surrounding and specific tasks.
Intrinsic motivation can be found within the individual since the task can be viewed as valuable. It is assumed that people learn better based on the perceived value of the task, personal goals, financial incentives and wide array of different factors.
Motivation can be increased or decreased based on many different factors. Some teachers are better at employing numerous positive motivation techniques and strategies than others. Students can obtain a sense of satisfaction from excelling in a class or they may receive low grades because they are demotivated.
For instance, if the guide or coach/teacher can explain to the students how a specific subject matter can be used in real life situation ,students will most likely be interested in learning that particular subject or skill.
Some students or people may be motived purely by intrinsic factors. In these situations, the student have to reach school by a particular time . In order to accomplish this goal, the information that they learn is of great value to them.
Sometimes an individual motivation can be adversely affected. From past failures with certain subject matter to teachers who provided an difficult learning environment, adults and children may be demotivated because of numerous situations. Getting motivated again is really difficult but can be done
Motivation can be a powerful determinant that if the person will succeed or fail in his work . It is clear that motivation and learning will often go hand in hand.