One of the main factors determining the success of students in learning is student motivation. The concept of motivation is quite broad and abstract, and many authors define it in different ways. By definition, motivation is presented as the process of encouraging behaviour, action, activity, which is caused by various motives; the whole of the motives (1993, 176–177). Motivation is very closely related to engagement in classroom activities. According to Dörnyei (2020), engagement is a consequence of motivation, and Esra and Sevilen (2021) define the concept of motivation as the desire to participate in the educational process.
Scholars distinguish two types of learning motivation: intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation.
•Intrinsic motivation comes from within. The behaviour of students demonstrates the need to understand, to know, to explore. Intrinsic motivation is most evident in the early childhood, when as much as 75% of the entire knowledge-accumulation process takes place due to the strong intrinsic motivation, because it is at this stage of life that children are eager to gain new experiences, to explore, they are actively discovering the things they have not yet known, and try new activities.
Extrinsic motivation is characterised by being guided by the motives, which are created due to other people and their mutual relationships. Extrinsic motivation plays a strong role in formal education (Šileikytė, 2021).
Researchers have investigatedthe ways that student motivation for learning can change depending on the environment (Özhan and Kocadere, 2020). Dörnyei (2020) states that student motivation for learning is positively affected by a favourable classroom microclimate andrespectful relationships among classmates. The role of the teacher and tutor in shaping the microclimate of the classroom is also highly important. This is confirmed by other researchers (Franchuk and Prydacha, 2021) stating that teachers or tutors who invest in creating a favourable classroom microclimate and promote cooperation among their students, are more likely tocreate conditions for the flourishing of the abilities of individual students and encourage them to engage in creative activities.
Four aspects which can increase a child’s desire to learn are:
- Cosiness of the learning environment
- Level of a child’s ability to work (a student does not get tired and remains active for a long time)
- Joy brought by success and cooperation during lessons
- A child’s felling of curiosity (a child is satisfied with each new piece of the learning material and with an attractive form of learning)
The motivation for learning tends to decrease when a child:
- Is regularly facing a failure
- Receives inadequate assessment form the teacher or tutor
- Feels unappreciated
- Has to listen to a slow, uninteresting story told by a teacher or tutor
- Is given tasks that are too difficult or too easy
- Does not receive feedback on the progress made
- Is taught new things too slowly or too quickly
- Learning takes place in an unpleasant environment which is not adapted to learning (low level of lighting, heating or acoustics, etc.)
Presentation of information or lesson content in a playful way (Wong, 2020) and targeted use of digital tools can encourage students to learn and foster their motivation for learning (Lee et al., 2021). Thus, it is important to consider the intrinsic and extrinsic factors that promote learning motivation as when students are truly motivated for learning, they tend to actively engage in the learning process.
References:
1. Dörnyei, Z. (2020). Innovations and challenges in language learning motivation. Routledge. Prieiga per internetą: https://www.routledge.com/Innovations-and-Challenges-in-LanguageLearning-Motivation/Dornyei/p/book/9781138599161.
2. Esra, M. E. Ş. E., & Sevilen, Ç. (2021). Factors influencing EFL students’ motivation in online learning: A qualitative case study. Journal of Educational Technology and Online Learning, 4(1), 11-22.
3. Franchuk, N. P., & Prydacha, T. V. (2021, March). Organization and conduct of classes in educational institutions during distance learning. In Journal of Physics: Conference Series, 1840(1). IOP Publishing.
4. Lee, K. (2021). Openness and innovation in online higher education: A historical review of the two discourses. Open Learning: The Journal of Open, Distance and eLearning, 36(2), 112-132.
5. Özhan, Ş. Ç., & Kocadere, S. A. (2020). The effects of flow, emotional engagement, and motivation on success in a gamified online learning environment. Journal of Educational Computing Research, 57(8), 2006-2031.
6. Psichologijos žodynas. (1993). Vilnius.
7. Šileikytė, D. (2021). STEAM ugdymas: Lietuvos situacija ir mokykloms siūlomi projektai. Švietimo naujienos. Prieiga per internetą: https://www.svietimonaujienos.lt/steam-ugdymas-lietuvos-situacija-ir-mokykloms-siulomi-projektai/
8. Wong, R. (2020). When no one can go to school: does online learning meet students’ basic learning needs? Interactive learning environments, 1–17.