How do they apply in our Scenario?

MOTIVATIONAL THEORIES

“Motivation is the force that energizes

and directs a behaviour towards a

goal”

(Tan, 2011; Baron, 1992; Schunk, 1990; Schunk, Pintrich & Meece, 2008)

WHAT IS MOTIVATION?

• Extrinsic/Intrinsic Motivation

• Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

• Attribution Theory

3 MOTIVATION LEARNING THEORIES

Internal desire to perform a task well as it provides

pleasure to do so, or it may be the morally right thing

to do.

NOT due to any reward from performing the task.

INTRINSICMOTIVATION

EXTRINSICMOTIVATION

Perform a task due to external factors. e.g.

monetary reward, good grades

Next:

MASLOW’S HIERARCHY OF

NEEDS

MASLOW’S HIERARCHY OF

NEEDSGrowth Needs

DeficiencyNeeds

Deficiency Needs have to be fulfilled first before Growth

Needs can be achieved.

MASLOW’S HIERARCHY OF

NEEDS

MASLOW’S HIERARCHY OF

NEEDSThe most basic needs found at the bottom of the pyramid e.g. food, water, sleep and warmth. All other needs are secondary until these Physiological needs are met.

After the most basic needs are met, people can move on the the next tier of needs, which is Safety and Security. These are important for survival but not as demanding as the physiological needs. Examples of these can be having steady employment, safe neighbourhood etc.

Social needs come in next. Examples are belonging, love and affection. Maslow considered such needs to be less basic than the Physiological and Security needs. Some examples can be friendships, romantic love as well as involvement in social/community/religious activities.

Esteem needs increase in importance after the above 3 have been met. Examples are needs for things that reflect self-esteem, personal worth, social recognition and accomplishment.

MASLOW’S HIERARCHY OF

NEEDS

Self-Actualizing Needs are at the highest level of Maslow’s Hierarchy

of Needs. Such people who have attained it are self-aware, concerned with personal betterment of values

and less concerned about the opinions of others.

MASLOW’S HIERARCHY OF

NEEDSSelf-Actualization:“What a man can be, he must be. This need we may call self-actualization…It refers to the desire for self-fulfillment,

namely, to the tendency for him to become actualized in what he is

potentially. This tendency might be phrased as the desire to become more

and more what one is, to become everything that one is capable of

becoming.”

(Maslow, 1934)

MASLOW’S HIERARCHY OF

NEEDS

When Self-Actualization has

been achieved, Intrinsic Motivation occurs as a result.

Next:

THE ATTRIBUTON

THEORY

ATTRIBUTION THEORY

Attribution:To explain

something by indicating a

cause.

ATTRIBUTION THEORY3 Characteristics of the causes of

Success/Failure:

•Internal/External•Stable/Unstable•Controllable/Uncontrollable

ATTRIBUTION THEORYInternal/External:

Succeed/Fail due to factors that are due to oneself (Internal) or

due to factors from the surrounding (External)

ATTRIBUTION THEORYStable/Unstable:

A Stable cause means the same outcome will happen with the same behaviour. Unstable indicates that the outcome will be

different.

ATTRIBUTION THEORYControllable/

Uncontrollable:

Internal/External factors may be both

Controllable or Uncontrollable.

ATTRIBUTION THEORYCont’d:

Controllable Internal factors for Andy may involve him trying harder.

inversely,

Uncontrollable Internal factors may be that he is a naturally slow learner.

ATTRIBUTION THEORYCont’d:

Controllable External factors might be the reduction of possible distractions. e.g the television

inversely,

Uncontrollable External factors may be the biasedness of Ms. Wong against him.

REFERENCESElectronic Articles Cherry, K. (2011). Hierarchy of Needs. Retrieved from http://psychology.about.com/od/theoriesofpersonality/a/hierarchyneeds.htm

Florida International University. (2007). Intrinsic/Extrinsic Motivation and Hierarchy of Needs. Retrieved from http://www2.fiu.edu/~cryan/motivation/intrinsic.htm

Purdue University Calumet. (2003). Attribution Theory. Retrieved from http://education.calumet.purdue.edu/vockell/edPsybook/Edpsy5/edpsy5_attribution.htm 

Books Tan, O. S., Parsons, R. D., Hinson, S. L., & Sardo-Brown, D. (2011). Educational Psychology: A Practitioner-Researcher Approach (Asian Edition). Singapore: Cengage Learning Asia Pte Ltd.