Motivaţia şi învăţarea

Abstract

Motivation is a key element of education and plays a crucial role in the success and enjoyment of the learning process for individual students. There are many factors, which influence motivation, some positive and some negative. The term “motivation” refers to the reason for someone to take action. The reason may be intrinsic or extrinsic. Individuals are generally motivated intrinsically, when they do something that they enjoy. A person, who enjoys reading biographies, for example, may read of their own volition. Extrinsic motivation occurs, when an individual takes action to satisfy an external influence. A student may read a novel to satisfy the requirements of a course, for example, but not actually enjoy reading the novel. Educators need to find a balance between intrinsic factors of motivation and extrinsic factors. It would be difficult to find students that are continuously motivated to complete structured courses. Each student is more likely to enjoy some parts of a course more than other parts. Students may identify with an external goal and complete part of their program of study for that purpose, such as the completion of a recognized tertiary qualification. The student needs to believe that the study will lead to a desirable result and that they possess the competence to complete the tasks, otherwise the student may take a more negative attitude to motivation.