Usage and Applications of Motivation

The more a person desires to have knowledge of a particular subject, the more motivated he will be to learn.  Though extrinsic motivators can be helpful in motivating students, the intrinsic motivators are those which educators long to influence.  Learning for learning's sake is generally more fulfilling than learning a subject with the goal of making good grades or as a requirement to earn a degree.  While these factors are motivators, the intrinsic motivator to do well for one's own benefit can be much stronger.  Artificial motivation can be achieved through extrinsic methods, but the effects are generally short-lived.  If students rely on grades as a sole motivator, there may be difficulty in achieving their goals, and they may feel frustration.  Memorization for tests, rather than true learning may take place when one focuses solely on grades for motivation.  However, one bright spot to this type of extrinsic motivation is that repetitive memorization often leads to learning.  While extrinsic and intrinsic motivators are different concepts, they may lead to the same goal.  As long as the overall goal is achieved, then the motivator has been successful (Engines for Education, n.d.).

As a student, I always excelled in English and history, and because I enjoyed those topics, I generally did well in those classes.  I had little interest in math and science, and because of this lack of interest, I did not do well in math and science classes.  One might argue that the inverse was true, that I had little interest in the subjects because of my poor performance in math and science.  Regardless of which aspect of that equation came first, I always preferred English and history, and I always did well in those courses.  Nursing school was quite challenging for me, because I had a weak science background.  The extrinsic factors of becoming a nurse and finishing school motivated me to succeed.

References

Engines for Education. (n.d.). Motivation in the classroom. Retrieved April 21, 2010, from engines4ed.org: http://www.engines4ed.org/hyperbook/nodes/NODE-62-pg.html 

 

Motivation. (2010). Retrieved April 20, 2010, from bing.com: http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=motivation&FORM=BILH