MOTIVATION AND LEARNING

1. MOTIVATION AND LEARNING Copyright Keith Morrison, 2004

2. VIEWS OF MOTIVATION • Behaviourist • Expectancy theories • Needs theories • Self-perception and self-worth theories • Learned helplessness • Social theories • Significant learning Copyright Keith Morrison, 2004

3. BEHAVIOURISM • A particular stimulus provokes a particular response. • Behaviour that is positively reinforced is learned. • Repetition and rote lead to learning. • Learning is largely extrinsic. • Negative reinforcement leads to forgetting. • Lack of repetition leads to extinction. • Learning is conditioned behaviour. • Learning is evidenced in observable behaviour. • Learners can be programmed; it is robotic. Copyright Keith Morrison, 2004

4. EXPECTANCY THEORIES • Motivation for learning (M) is a function of the expectancies and likelihood of success by the learner (E) and the value that the learner attributes to the goals and outcomes of the learning (V). • M = f (E,V). • The amount of effort people expend on an activity is a function of the degree of expectancy that they have that a particular activity will lead to better performance, rewards and meeting their own desired objectives. Copyright Keith Morrison, 2004

5. NEEDS THEORIES • Learning is a humanistic activity, engaging all aspects of the person’s make-up. • Learners have needs which must be met in a hierarchy. • Lower order needs must be satisfied before higher order needs can be met. • Self-esteem and self-actualisation are high in the hierarchy. • Physical, security and emotional needs precede cognitive needs. Copyright Keith Morrison, 2004

6. The Maslow Hierachy of Needs Under- standing and knowledge Self-actualisation Self-esteem Love and belonging Safety Physiological Copyright Keith Morrison, 2004

7. SELF-PERCEPTION AND SELF-WORTH • Learning is effective if self-esteem and self-worth are high and deserved. • Low self-esteem and self-worth are major barriers to effective motivation and learning. • Self-esteem and self-worth are linked to the degree control that learners have over their learning. • Learners must experience success and a sense of achievement. • Learners must be given rich and positive feedback; it is a sign of respect for the learners. Copyright Keith Morrison, 2004

8. LEARNED HELPLESSNESS • Learned helplessness is related to loss of control over one’s learning. • Learned helplessness occurs when we feel there is no response to a situation we can make to change the course of events, even if we exert maximum effort. • Learned helplessness is a consequence of taught dependency, obedience, passive learning, compliance and docility, didactic and irrelevant teaching. • Over-emphasis on rewards and punishments (behaviourism) can lead to learned helplessness. • Learned helplessness is a motivational problem. • Teachers cause learned helplessness. • Learned helplessness results from being trained to be locked into a system. Copyright Keith Morrison, 2004

9. SYMPTOMS OF HELPLESSNESS • Lowered initiation of voluntary responses. • Negative cognitive set (self-reproach and guilt and tendency to underestimate their effectiveness). • Passivity. • Lack of self-confidence and feeling hopeless. • Poor problem solving. • Wandering attention. • Poor social skills. • Learned helpless children are extrinsically motivated and not so much intrinsically motivated because of their failures. • A child suffering from learned helplessness eventually gives up. • You only get noticed or attention if you fail. Copyright Keith Morrison, 2004

10. SOCIAL THEORIES • The social learning environment is highly significant. • Collaborative learning is highly effective. • Higher order cognition is motivating, and is socially learned and transmitted. • Cognitive, behavioural and environmental factors constantly interact to promote motivation and learning. • Students model their learning on their observation of other learners. • Effective learning is interactive. • Peer group behaviour affects learning significantly. Copyright Keith Morrison, 2004

11. SIGNIFICANT LEARNING • Motivation requires personal involvement, interest and commitment. • Learning is self-initiated. • Learning makes a difference to the ‘whole person’. • The learner is involved in the evaluation of learning. • Effective teachers must inquire about the significance of the learning for the learner. • The teacher, as a ‘significant other’, must be a model of ongoing and effective learning. • Learners must be made to feel valued. Copyright Keith Morrison, 2004

12. KEY IMPLICATIONS • Motivation is a central feature of effective teaching and learning. • Motivation is neglected in Macau schools and needs to be addressed a lot more. • Make motivation intrinsic; extrinsic motivation risks killing longer-term and deeper, intrinsic motivation. • Motivation increases when significant, real-world, social and collaborative learning takes place. • Reduce behaviourism, increase self-worth, self-esteem and collaborative learning. • Increase student autonomy. • Break learned helplessness. Copyright Keith Morrison, 2004