PSYCHOLOGY OF LEARNING AND MOTIVATION
MOTIVATION
- II
“Motivation is an incentive, an incitement of the will, a force
that influences the behavior of a person
to do a thing.”
“Motivation is a moving force or stimulus or motive which precedes
a behavior or an
act.” - SULLY
MOTIVATION:
Motivation is concerned with how behavior gets started, is
energized, is sustained, is directed, is stopped, and what kind of subjective reaction is present in the
organism, while all this is going on.
A need to be fulfilled is motive and motivation means using the
motives in the individual to cause a definite action which will
contribute to personal as well as organizational improvement.
To motivate means to incite a person to do or to act in the manner
in which one wants him to do or act.
THE
MOTIVATIONAL ASPECTS :
Why
do people work?
If a group of persons are asked: “Why do you work?” The answers
may be usually somewhat on the following lines :
i.
We work to get our food.
ii.
How to sustain the household
needs?
iii.
I work because others do!
iv.
Duty towards family and society.
v.
I like working.
vi.
Why sit idle?
vii.
Challenge to do something.
viii.
The joy of completing a work.
ix.
Attraction towards co-workers.
x.
Environment in the organization.
xi.
Service to the country.
xii.
Karma Yoga / to please God.
xiii.
Social obligations.
xiv.
To enjoy the world.
xv.
One cannot leave the work
unfinished.
xvi.
Working gives me the respect.
xvii.
So that others likes us.
xviii.
I like the particular job.
xix.
You get good offers of marriage.
xx.
For the future of my children and
family.
xxi.
Creative urge.
xxii.
Excel in performance.
xxiii.
xxiv.
Desire for power and authority.
xxv.
To gain a place in society.
……. And so on.
If these answers are analyzed, it will be found that people work
to meet and fulfill their needs. These needs vary from one’s own physical needs
to needs in social interactions and joy in work or excellence.
Each person is driven by a force impelled through his needs.
Sometimes, the force is purely instinctive. On other occasions, it may arise from
a rational decision. It could also be a mixture of both the processes.
However, whatever be the source of the force, harnessing
participant’s motivation is such an obvious aspect of the leadership role, it
is surprising that due attention has not been given to this aspect. Not much
study has also been made in this area.
The
goal of motivation is to cause people to
put forth their best efforts with enthusiasm and effectiveness in order to
achieve and hopefully surpass organizational objectives. To motivate is to
incite a person to do something in the manner in which you want it to be done.
“It is probably a mistake to think of motivation as a
pre-requisite for learning. A more useful way of thinking about this force is
to regard motivation as a general willingness to enter into a learning
situation. However, it is un-necessary to postpone learning until appropriate
classes of motivation are available. Frequently the best strategy is to
ignore any initial motivational states and to concentrate on presenting the
subject material in such a way that student motivation is developed and
harnessed during the learning process.”
- I.K.DAVIES
The above quote sums up the importance of motivation in learning
situation.
There is no simple problem but a variety of complex problems in
the motivation for learning. Motivation is an important issue of having a wide
understanding of learning and development, of temperament, intelligence and
socialization. It is the importance of selecting appropriate objectives for any
group of learners in particular circumstances followed by designing the
detailed Programme in suitable steps and stages for achieving the objective.
Many failures are due to failures in the choice of aim or in programming the
necessary learning.
The choice of the objectives and Programme are usually influenced
by things like age, sex, general ability, temperament, social background,
environment of training, institution, local and national cultural norms and the
nature of the specific learning task. It is, therefore, important to understand
that successful motivation will mean successful assessment of these factors and
appropriate deployment of the training resources.
There is no simple formula through which one could make a
successful assessment of the various factors and decide upon appropriate
deployment of training resources. One could only think of some approaches which
could be helpful in practice and these could be developed based on a practical
study of the psychology of learning. One common approach to motivation is
through the concept of psychological needs.
THEORIES
OF MOTIVATION
Maslow’s
hierarchy of human needs :
The diagram of the next page, explains Maslow’s hierarchy of
needs. According to Maslow, as the lower needs are satisfied, higher level
motives are released. However, a need does not have to be completely satisfied
before the next need emerges. Even the most untalented person will seek to
fulfill himself once the other needs have been more or less satisfied.
This concept is of interest of the teacher/trainer. But it does
not indicate the strategies that could be used. The following two strategies
can however be considered.
Intrinsic
and Extrinsic Motivation :
Intrinsic motivation refers to the content factors which are
inherent in either the task of learning itself or the trainee himself. This is
the basis of most modern educational theories concerning activity and discovery
because exploration and curiosity are intrinsic to most people. Extrinsic
motivation refers to context factors which are imposed on the learning task or
trainee by the trainer or other external agent.
Maslow’s lower order needs refers to extrinsic factors whereas the
two higher order needs refers to the intrinsic factors. One should be careful
in selecting context factors. One could use the two factors with imagination.
Motivation
– hygiene theory:
Frederick Herzberg found that good feelings people had were
associated with the events which indicated that they were doing their work well
whereas bad feelings were associated with background events about how they were
being treated. The chart on the next page indicates factors providing satisfactions
and those providing dis-satisfactions.
It would be seen from an interpretation in the percentage of this theory that a person’s extreme satisfaction factors generally are:
Achievement
Recognition
Work
Responsibility
Achievement can be
co-related to relations with superiors, recognition to relations with
peers, work and work conditions to salary and wages and responsibility
to status.
By proper communication, it can be indicated that the ‘satisfying’
factors can be further increased and
‘dissatisfying’ factors reduced considerably by training, the trainees
will get motivated may be receptive to training.
This theory also helps to systematize a trainer’s role in
providing compensatory conditions for poorly motivated trainees and helps him
to assess the relevance and importance of the actions taken by him.
Motivation-
Hygiene Theory
|
Motivation – theory X and Y :
Douglas Mc Gregor has identified, at the
extremes, two styles of managing: Theory X, or autocratic, and theory Y,
or participative. Each style involves certain assumptions concerning
human nature.
A theory of X person assumes that –
·
The average human being has an
inherent dislike for work and will avoid it if he can.
·
Because of this human
characteristic of dislike for work, most people must be coerced, controlled, or
threatened with punishment to get them to put forth adequate effort towards the
achievement of organizational objectives.
·
The average human being prefers
to be directed, wishes to avoid responsibility, has relatively little ambition,
and wants security above all.
A
theory Y person holds directly opposite views concerning people
and
their attitudes towards work. Assumptions made in theory Y
are –
·
Work is a source of satisfaction
and is as normal as play or rest.
·
Threat of punishment is only one
way to induce people to work, and it is not usually the best way. People who
are committed to achieving the organization’s objectives will display self-motivation
and self-direction.
·
A person’s commitment to
objectives depends on the rewards he expects to receive when goals are
achieved.
·
Under the right conditions, the average person will both accept and seek responsibility.
·
The abilities to think creatively,
to be innovative, and the capacity of problem-solving is widely, not narrowly,
distributed among people.
·
The intellectual abilities of
most people are underutilized.
This theory helps in improving
learning process and learning situations.
Exercise on Theory “X” &
Theory “Y”:
The X/Y Scale (Exercise)
Read each item carefully and then put a tick in one of the columns
to indicate what you would do in your own real work situation –
|
Sl. No. |
As a
Supervisor I would : |
A |
B |
C |
D |
|
Make a great
effort to do this |
Tend to do
this |
Tend to avoid
doing this |
Really try to
avoid this |
||
|
1. |
Closely
supervise my Subordinates in order to get better work from them. |
|
|
|
|
|
2. |
Check with my
subordinates daily to see if they need any help. |
|
|
|
|
|
3. |
Set the goals
and objectives for my subordinates and sell them on the merits of my plan. |
|
|
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4. |
Encourage my
subordinates to set their own goals and objectives. |
|
|
|
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5. |
Make sure that
my subordinates' work is planned out for them. |
|
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6. |
Outline and
discuss the section’s objectives and encourage my staff to plan how to meet
them. |
|
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7. |
Push my people
to meet schedules. |
|
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8. |
Set up
controls to ensure that my subordinates are getting the job done. Step in as
soon as reports indicate that the job is slipping |
|
|
|
|
(Do not go ahead until you have put in your
ticks)
Discussion on Exercise on Theory “X” & Theory “Y”:
Even-numbered items
If you gave yourself ticks under A or B for the Even-numbered items, you tend to use Theory Y. The more ticks under A, the
more you favor for theory Y
Odd
numbered items
f you gave yourself ticks under A or B for the Odd numbered
items, you tend to use Theory X supervision. The more ticks under A, the more
you favour for theory X.
Where
do human drives come from? How does a motive come
into existence?
The
answers are important for a teacher. They show us how internal drives and
motives come into existence.
Whenever
a human being needs something out of his environment or has an internal
surplus of something, then his inner balance is disturbed. There exists a
difference between the actual value and a desired value.
Let
us look a simple model. If a man works hard, he sweats. An output of
water will make the ball sink under the desired value. The right switch will be
closed. A warming lamp is lighted: Too little. This signal is reported
to the brain as a need. The human being recognizes: I am thirsty.
(Needs are unpleasant)
Parallel
to the need some internal energy is set free. It results in a drive.
A drive is an internal pressure, which presses the man to do something against
the unpleasant feeling of thirst. He knows: I need water. Suddenly he sees a
bottle of water. He now has a goal. The drives aim for the goal and urge
the man towards the goal. The man now has a motive.
A
motive is a drive which aims for a goal, we can say:- DRIVE + GOAL = MOTIVE
When the man drinks water, this is an input.
If he drinks too much water, the ball will rise above the desired level. The
warming lamp too much is lighted. The man will feel a need to stop
drinking. A drive makes him to do it.
Summery:
A
human being has as many internal balances as needs. If an inner balance is
disturbed, the human being will feel a need (unpleasant feeling) and a drive
(internal pressure). The drives aim at goals which can satisfy this need. It
urges the human being towards these goals. If a drive aims at a goal, a motive
come into existence. A human being usually has several motives.
“If
the ruler follows the dictates of his duty (dharma), the ruled also do the
same. If the ruler be impious, the ruled also are impious. The ruled are simple
if the ruler be simple. The ruled follow the ruler. As the ruler, so will the
ruled be”. -- Chanakya neeti
The above quote sums up the
teacher taught position in motivation.
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