Motivation: Sustaining Effort

1
Motivation Sustaining Effort

• Principles, Learning, Language,
• and Behavior

Dr. Reed Spencer
2
Four Principles of Motivation Under What
Conditions do People Sustain Effort?

• Affective safety
• Needs fulfillment
• Pattern of success
• Attribution theory

3
1. Affective Safety

• A person who does not feel emotionally safe in
  the learning environmentteacher and other
  studentshas a very difficult time letting go of
  fear and defense enough to cognitively engage.
  If I dont believe you care about me, I cannotI
  will notmake an effort to learn this.

4
2. Needs Fulfillment

• No organism sustains effort on something they do
  not believe is in their best interestnot even a
  slug. Teachers want students to see that
  someday what they are asking student to learn
  will be of benefit to them. This is not enough
  for many learners. How does this satisfy a need
  of mine, make my life better, right now.

5
3. Pattern of Success

• Very few people sustain effort on something they
  do not achieve some success at, even if they know
  it is good for them. One of the beauties of
  becoming an independent adult is that we do not
  have to do this! Learning must be crafted so that
  the learner can Win small, win early, win
  often. Dont try to make me keep doing
  something I fail at. I wont.

6
4. Attribution Theory

• Perhaps the most critical learning we can work
  toward is to help students genuinely believe that
  their success is a function of their effort.
  Weak individuals (like us all) convince
  themselves that other peoples success is a
  function of luck, money, familyanything but
  effort. I will be successful if I work hard
  enough at it.

7
Learning

• A motivated learner learns more rapidly and
  permanently than one who is not motivated.
• Motivation must be at an optimum leveltoo much
  or too little decreases performance.
• Learning under the promise of reward is more
  motivating than learning under the threat of
  punishment.
• Tasks that are either too hard or too easy are
  de-motivating.

8
LanguageWhat motivates learners to sustain
effort in learning to read?From Reading
Instruction That Works, Chapter 8, by Michael
Pressley

• Self-efficacy
• Challenge
• Curiosity
• Aesthetically enjoyable topics
• Perceived importance
• Recognition
• Competition
• Social importance

9
Extrinsic Motivation and Behavior Modification

• The load is light enough
• The stick is short enough
• The carrot is big enough
• The donkey is hungry enough