reach all learners through sight, hearing, touch, smell and taste, although this might not always be possible
• inquiry arousal – using thought-provoking questions and challenges
• variability – using various delivery approaches, activities and media.
Relevance is the second aspect. To ensure motivation is retained, the learner has to believe the session content is relevant to them. It’s about addressing the learner’s question of What’s in it for me? The benefits should clearly be stated to the learner to enable them to see what they will gain.
Confidence is the third aspect. This is to help learners put an effort into their learning and to think they are capable of achieving. Learners should always be given constructive and developmental feedback to help maintain their motivation. Clear targets and deadlines need to be discussed and agreed.
Satisfaction is the final aspect. Learners must obtain some type of satisfaction or reward from their learning experience. This could be in the form of a sense of achievement or of gaining a qualification. Satisfaction could also come from external rewards such as praise from others, a pay rise, more responsibility or a job promotion. Ultimately, the best way for learners to achieve satisfaction is for them to put their new skills and knowledge to immediate use.
Activity
Using the ARCS model of motivation, consider a topic you are going to teach and plan how to gain your learners’ attention for each aspect. How will you make this relevant to each learner, ensuring that they feel confident to learn and are satisfied in some way?
Herzberg’s (1991) hygiene needs and motivation needs
Herzberg (1991) created a two-level theory with hygiene needs and motivation needs.
Hygiene needs (also known as maintenance needs) in Herzberg’s view, do not provide positive motivation, but their absence causes dissatisfaction. This is in the same way that hygiene prevents disease rather than increasing well-being.
Hygiene needs include factors such as salary, interpersonal relationships, working conditions, style of leadership and types of supervision, security, type of work, working hours and status. They are called hygiene needs as they work like preventative medicine. They can help stop an illness but do not do anything to promote good health. In a teaching context this means that hygiene factors don’t motivate learners to do their very best, but they are needed to stop them becoming dissatisfied with their learning experience.
Motivation needs lead to satisfaction. They include factors which allow for: achievement, responsibility, recognition, advancement and challenge. Herzberg suggests that these factors are the ones which encourage people to strive to do well, and motivate them to do their best.
Herzberg believed that hygiene and motivation needs were equally important for satisfaction but that they work in different ways. If the hygiene needs are inadequate, learners will quickly become dissatisfied. However, as these needs are satisfied, trying to motivate them by adding more hygiene needs is an inefficient and short-term solution. A better way would be to appeal to the learners’ motivation needs by giving them more responsibility or giving them greater challenges. In this way, they are satisfied and motivated.
Example
Sharron is progressing well towards a beauty therapy course. When she receives compliments from her teacher for keeping her working area clean and tidy, she feels good. However, she doesn’t expect compliments every day and isn’t demotivated as a result (her hygiene needs are met). The following week Sharron is given the chance to supervise a new learner and enjoys the challenge (meeting her motivation needs).
Maslow’s (1987) Hierarchy of Needs
Maslow (1987) introduced a Hierarchy of Needs in 1954 which can relate to motivation and the ability to achieve something. He rejected the idea that human behaviour was determined by childhood events. He felt that obstacles should be removed that prevent a person from achieving their goals. He argued that there are five needs which represent different levels of motivation which must be met. The highest level was labelled self-actualisation, meaning people are fully functional, possess a healthy personality and take responsibility for themselves and their actions. He also believed that people should be able to move through these needs to the highest level, provided they are given an education that promotes growth. Figure 2.6 shows the needs expressed as they might relate to learning, starting at the base of the pyramid.
Figure 2.6 Maslow’s (1987) Hierarchy of Needs expressed in educational terms
When learners satisfy their needs at one level, they should be able to progress to the next level. Something may set them back a level, but they should want to keep striving upwards. It is these needs that stimulate learning to take place. However, some people may not want to progress through the levels and may be quite content where they are at that moment in their life. There might also be age or cultural factors which could impact upon progression through the levels. You could think of the needs as relevant to your role too. If you are hungry, thirsty, tired or cold as in the first level, you might not perform well.
To help your learners’ motivation, try and ensure that the environment you create meets your learners’ first level needs. This will enable them to feel comfortable and secure enough to learn and progress to the higher levels. You will need to appreciate that some learners may not have these lower needs met in their home lives, making it difficult for them to move on to the higher levels.
Example
Dawn was due to teach a session from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. She arrived early and noticed the room was hot and stuffy so she opened the windows. She also realised that most of her learners might not have had a chance to eat something prior to the session. When they arrived she told them they would be able to have an early break to enable them to get refreshments. She kept one window open to let some fresh air into the room and allowed her learners to drink bottled water if they wished.
This example shows how Dawn ensured her learners’ first level needs were met, which should then help learning to take place.
While you may be very good at delivering your subject, you might have no control over the environment, and will need to create a suitable learning climate if you can. However, your enthusiasm and passion for your subject should help engage your learners. If you can also make your session interesting, active and varied, your learners will enjoy the experience and remember more about the subject and your delivery, rather than the environment or a lack of facilities.
Extension activity
How can you engage and motivate your learners to progress through each level of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs? What internal and external factors might affect a learner’s motivation? How do you think these factors can be overcome?
Challenges
Throughout your role as a teacher or a trainer you will experience many challenges. These might relate to personal challenges, such as:
• a difference in values and beliefs to that of your employer or your learners
• a disability
