MOTIVATION
According to the Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, motivation means
enthusiasm for doing something or the need and reason for doing something. Rabideau
(2005) defined motivation as the driving force behind our actions and affects our needs,
desires and life ambition.
Entwistle (1968) defined academic motivation as academic drive; attitudes toward
school and learning and enthusiasm for academic achievement. Measuring items such as
work habits and scholastic expectations can be categorized under academic drive. While
attitudes toward school and learning including students’ perception toward the classroom
environment and self-efficacy in learning. Whereas Hwang (2002) involves the degree to
which students possessed certain specific behavioral characteristics related to motivation
under the enthusiasm for academic achievement.
There are studies conducted to understand factors that motivate students. This
eventually leads to the development of several theories of motivation. For instance, the
Goal Theory. Under this theory, students can be divided into two main types that are
performance goal orientation and task goal orientation. For students with performance
goal orientation, they are concerned about getting good grades or performing well
compared to other students. However, for those with a task goal orientation, they can be
motivated by an urge to increase their knowledge on a subject or by enjoyment from
learning the material (Anderman & Midgley, 1997).
From the study of Adedeji Tella (2007) that was carried out among secondary
school students in Nigeria, he found out that there is significant difference when the
variable of interest is the extent of motivation on academic achievement in mathematics
based on the degree of their motivation. This study is in agreement with Mahyuddin, Elias
and Noordin (2009) which also found a significant but low positive correlation between
students’ achievement motivation and their academic performance.
REFERENCE
1. Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. 2005. Ed. ke-2. Singapore: Green
Giant
Press.
2. Rabideau, S.T. 2005. Effects of achievement motivation on behavior.
http://www.personalityresearch.org/papers/rabideau.html [18 Januari 2011].
3. Entwistle, N. J. 1968. Academic motivation and school attainment. British
Journal of
Educational Psychology 38(2): 181-188.
4. Hwang, Y. S., Echols, C. & Vrongistinos, K. 2002. Multidimensional academic
motivation of high achieving African American students. College Student Journal
36(4): 544-554.
5. Anderman, L. H. & Midgley, C. 1997. Motivation and middle school students.
Dlm. J. L. Irvin (Ed.). What current research says to the middle level practitioner,
hlm. 41-48. Columbus, OH: National Middle School Association.
6. Adedeji Tella. 2007. The Impact of Motivation on Student’s Academic
Achievement and Learning Outcomes in Mathematics among Secondary School
Students in Nigeria. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science & Technology
Education 3(2): 149-156.
7. Mahyuddin, R., Elias, H. & Noordin, N. 2009. Emotional intelligence,
achievement motivation and academic achievement among students of the public
and private higher institutions. The International Journal of Diversity in
Organistions, Communities and Nations 9(4): 135-144.