MOTIVATION

This week’s topic in Educational Psychology centers around the concept of motivation and how it relates to teaching and learning. What motivates those of us who want to teach has been something we’ve already discussed extensively this semester. Clearly, we, meaning my fellow education major/minors and myself, are all passionate about learning and about our specific subject area. We also love working with people, particularly kids. Our motivation is not really the issue that needs addressing. Rather, we need to learn how to motivate our future students.

In trying to understand how I will possibly motivate my own students someday, I’ve been reflecting upon what exactly has served as motivation for me in the past. It’s hard to admit, but I’ve found that many previous goals and motivating factors in my life have been, well, not so positive. In our textbook’s chapter about motivation, the distinction is made between mastery goals and performance goals. Mastery goals refer to a more intrinsic motivation - the desire to complete a task, improve abilities, and learn, despite “awkward appearances” or initial failure. Performance goals, on the other hand, are more along the lines of extrinsic motivation; these goals are driven by the need to be recognized by others or to receive some sort of reward. Of course, we all want our students, and ourselves, to be motivated intrinsically and to aim for mastery goals; it seems more noble and dignified, less egotistical or narcissistic. Furthermore, our textbook explains that students who set mastery goals actually utilize better cognitive strategies, ask for help when needed, have stronger study skills, and are more confident in handling academic tasks. So I’d like to say that the majority of the decisions I made and accomplishments I attained throughout my years in school were entirely due to “mastery goals,” inspired by intrinsic motivation. However, I will be honest and say that performance goals in fact played a large role in influencing my actions and behaviors as well.

I was a straight-A student throughout middle and high school, a trait that has remained true in my collegiate career as well. But I wonder if these high grades were the only factors that influenced my study habits and work ethic. Was it the aspiration to receive a perfect score that compelled me to study for hours and hours before each and every Spanish test? Did I complete all those extra-credit projects for Chemistry only because I needed to secure an A? Do I still stay up until the early hours of the morning revising my research papers for Music History because I wouldn’t be able to handle earning a B, a grade deemed only “above average”? In truth, the answer is a bit complicated. Although I admit (somewhat shamefully) that percentages, test scores, and grades have played an influential role in motivating me to excel in my school work, there are other factors as well. First and foremost, I sincerely enjoy learning, which allows me to approach most school work with less anxiety or dread than most. Also, school, especially the subjects of English, social studies, and music, have always been fairly easy for me. This relates to the idea of self-efficacy: because I believe I can succeed, and/or finish whichever task it may be, I tend to have higher levels of motivation (and also persistence). What concerns me, however, is the fact that in my classroom someday, I will not be faced with teaching 25 miniature Haleys, who are either motivated extrinsically by grades, or intrinsically by personal yearning for learning (cute - that rhymes!), or by some combination of both. Simply put, in order to effectively and positively motivate my students, I might have to teach them how to enjoy learning. Easier said than done! Still, motivation is not a skill like adding fractions or playing the recorder. To me, it seems unquantifiable, and motivation will certainly differ from child to child. I know I should make lessons appealing to students and relevant to their lives; I also need to show them I value them and genuinely care. Yet currently, I still remain somewhat worried about my own abilities as a motivator.

Well this quite long already (again!) and so I think I will wait to further address my concerns about motivation sometime in the future. Perhaps I will just have to rely on my undeniable charm and charisma to motivate my students…ok, I’m kidding. In all seriousness, however, I am quite glad I have a few years of college left to figure out how to create an inspirational classroom environment and how to truly motivate students to learn.