My Group's Theoretical Background

Theoretical Background

Psychology: Factors which May Make Students Eager to Learn in School

For some time, the researchers have wondered why and what makes some students become eager to learn in school.  What the researchers have wondered may probably be a question that is unanswered for some, particularly for people in the Philippines.

A factor that is considered to be one of the main factors which may make the students eager to learn in school by the researchers is MOTIVATION. It is relevant to the research (Factors Which May Make Students Eager to Learn in School).

According to Wikipedia, motivation is the psychological feature that arouses an organism to action toward a desired goal and elicits, controls, and sustains certain goal directed behaviors.

Motives can be divided into two types: external and internal. Internal motives are considered as the needs that every human being experience, while external indicate the presence of specific situations where these needs arise.

Intrinsic motivation refers to motivation that is driven by an interest or enjoyment in the task itself, and exists within the individual rather than relying on any external pressure. Intrinsic motivation is based on taking pleasure in an activity rather than working towards an external reward. Intrinsic motivation has been studied since the early 1970s.

 Students who are intrinsically motivated are more likely to engage in the task willingly as well as work to improve their skills, which will increase their capabilities. Students are likely to be intrinsically motivated if they:

• attribute their educational results to factors under their own control, also known as autonomy,
• believe they have the skill that will allow them to be effective agents in reaching desired goals (i.e. the results are not determined by luck),
• are interested in mastering a topic, rather than just rote-learning to achieve good grades.

Extrinsic motivation refers to the performance of an activity in order to attain an outcome, which then contradicts intrinsic motivation. It is widely believed that motivation performs two functions. The first is often referred as to the energetic activation component of the motivation construct. The second is directed at a specific behavior and makes reference to the orientation directional component. Extrinsic motivation comes from outside of the individual. Common extrinsic motivations are rewards like money and grades, and threat of punishment.

The theory that supports the division of motivation into 2 parts which is intrinsic and extrinsic is the incentive theory.

A reward, tangible or intangible, is presented after the occurrence of an action (i.e. behavior) with the intent to cause the behavior to occur again. This is done by associating positive meaning to the behavior. Studies show that if the person receives the reward immediately, the effect is greater, and decreases as duration lengthens. Repetitive action-reward combination can cause the action to become habit. Motivation comes from two sources: oneself, and other people.

The researchers simply explain relatedly to the research (Factors which may make students eager to learn in school) that motivation is something that energizes, direct, and sustains behaviors and that intrinsic motivation is the internal desires to perform a particular task, students do certain activities because it gives them pleasure, develops a particular skill, or it’s morally the right thing to do. Thus, intrinsically motivated students are bound to do much better in classroom activities, because they are willing and eager to learn new material. Their learning experience is more meaningful, and they go deeper into the subject to fully understand it.

Another theory that is related to the research is the Facilitation theory (the humanist approach).

Carl Rogers and others have developed the theory of facilitative learning. The basic premise of the theory is that learning will occur by the educator acting as a facilitator, that is by establishing an atmosphere in which learners feel comfortable to consider new ideas and are not threatened by external factors (Laird 1985.)

Other characteristics of the theory include:

• a belief that human beings have a natural eagerness to learn,
• there is some resistance to, and unpleasant consequences of, giving up what is currently held to be true,
• the most significant learning involves changing one's concept of oneself.

Facilitative teachers are:

• less protective of their constructs and beliefs than other teachers,
• more able to listen to learners, especially to their feelings,
• inclined to pay as much attention to their relationship with learners as to the content of the course,
• apt to accept feedback, both positive and negative and to use it as constructive insight into themselves and their behavior.

Learners:

• are encouraged to take responsibility for their own learning,
• provide much of the input for the learning which occurs through their insights and experiences,
• are encouraged to consider that the most valuable evaluation is self-evaluation and that learning needs to focus on factors that contribute to solving significant problems or achieving significant results.

 

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