Three Levels of Motivation Three Levels of Motivation in Instruction: Building Interpersonal Relations with Learners Shari Taylor Teaching and Learning Models EDCIP 882 Dr. Kim October 12, 2005 1 Three Levels of Motivation 2 Author: Katy Zinquan Cao Indiana University Bloomington Summary This paper proposes a learning model that identifies the three levels of motivation (3LOM) in instruction. The three levels are: inclusion, entertainment, and edification. “The following are the values underlying this model,” states Cao: The purpose of instruction should serve the positive needs of the society and promote the development of the society. The instructor should first of all have sufficient expertise and good qualities or standards that are acclaimed by the majority of society. The process of instruction and learning is one type of social interaction that should be carried out accordingly. The instructor should seek to understand the needs of each student. The instructor’s first priority is to teach the things as listed in the curriculum. Secondly, if s/he can, the instructor should explore the learner’s potential and provide guidance for the learner to achieve his potential in the future. Learners have their own free agency. The instructor is not to force changes on them but cater to their individual potential and ambition (p 92). As a teacher, Cao states that our goals should not simply be to teach the items that the curriculum dictates, but to also be a good role model and “respectable scholar” for the students. The author takes a look at motivation from a social psychological point of view and the basis of her theory comes from Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, but also pulls ideas from the Instructional Design Principles, and related literature on Classroom Motivation. Maslow’s (1943) Hierarchy of Needs states that “human beings are motivated by unsatisfied needs,” and that these “needs must be satisfied before a person can act unselfishly.” Once these needs are satisfied, then human beings will move toward growth. Every individual has a “prepotent need” which is a need that has the greatest influence over our actions; unfortunately those needs are going to vary among individuals. The three basic Instructional Three Levels of Motivation 3 Design Principles are used to say that instruction should be appealing, effective, and efficient. If a student lacks in any of those areas, it can discourage student’s interest in the instruction. Level One: Inclusion. Cao states that this is “a prerequisite for social interactions.” Students need to be accepted unconditionally. As teachers, we should come in on the first day with preconceived notions about individual students – don’t be judgmental when you first meet your students. To be motivated and learn, the students must feel comfortable. Two goals for teachers are: 1.) Build a positive personal relationship with each student, and 2.) Maintain “spirit de corpora” in the classroom – don’t pick favorites and make sure peers respect each other. Level Two: Entertainment. This level is a step up the hierarchical ladder. On this level, the teacher should make the learning process fun and relaxing versus boring and frustrating. There are three aspects to consider: 1.) Choose entertaining learning materials, 2.) Use entertaining delivery methods, and 3.) Develop entertaining teaching style. It isn’t always easy to find entertaining learning materials or utilize entertaining delivery methods. The teacher should adopt the appropriate method to make learning more entertaining dependent on the circumstance. Level Three: Edification. Edification literally means intellectual, moral, or spiritual improvement. During the instructional process, students experience “revolutionary upgrade in his understanding in one or all of the three domains, which results in changes in his way of thinking and/or behaviors in a better way” (Cao, p. 95). This means students should be exposed, as much as possible, to general knowledge and skills on a basic level. On a more advanced level, they should acquire some awareness of their own strengths and weaknesses. This is based on self-actualization from Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Not every student can reach this level, Three Levels of Motivation 4 however, but as teachers we should be alert to detect those students who are exceptional in one way or another and help bring out the best qualities in those students. Critique Although the article was interesting to ready, the goal of the article was not projected clearly. Cao listed values underlying her Three Levels of Motivation to address not only what is needed to motivate the student to learn but what is need to motivate the teacher to teach. Unfortunately, Cao does not perform any of her own qualitative or quantitative research to advance the field of student/teacher motivation, but merely replicates studies already completed by other theorists. Her theory is clearly supported by Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and the principles of Instructional Design; however, I couldn’t determine if Cao was trying to improve on those theories or just make comparisons to them. I do believe that certain needs and desires must be met in an individual for him to improve himself, but I also believe that it is very difficult to meet the needs of all students on any given day. Interestingly enough, the Three Levels of Motivation, Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, and the principles of Instructional Design are very tightly interwoven. The general types of needs in Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs are: physiological, safety, love, esteem, and selfactualization and the lowest level of the 3LOM is inclusion. These are very closely related to each other. For students to feel “included,” they must have a positive self-esteem and feel comfortable in their surroundings. Unfortunately, the students don’t live in a vacuum. There are always influences on the students that make them uncomfortable in given situations – their best friend could have just started dating their ex-boyfriend, etc. As teachers we may try to include each individual student, but the student may choose to not participate in the activities. Three Levels of Motivation 5 The tone (climate) set by teachers and students as well as the peer interaction are absolutely vital in inclusion. A problem arises when Cao states that the teacher must be available when students need help, but in reality teachers have other duties that may pull them away from the classroom when that student is needing additional assistance (2004, p. 94). Most teachers strive to strengthen personal relationships with students, but, unfortunately, some students come to school/class with big chips on their shoulders – their parents had bad experiences in school so they expect their kids to get into the same types of trouble; drugs and alcohol pull students away from their safe environment in the hallways and during lunch times, etc., and personal issues come into play (break-up with boyfriend, etc). Teachers may try very hard to reach all students, but inevitably there will be a personality conflict with a student who may not share the save values as the teacher and/or school district. Another point by Cao states that teachers need to “maintain spirit de corpora in the classroom.” We should treat every student equally and encourage peers to treat each other respectfully. Unfortunately, in classrooms, students don’t treat each other as equals. There may be dissention among races, socioeconomic groupings, and intelligence levels. Teachers try to create groupings and change the groupings regularly, but besides encouraging students to work together as a team, teachers can do little else. There won’t always be harmony in the classroom. All educators face the challenge of balancing rules and guidelines. In some cases, teachers will not treat students equally because exceptions are made to accommodate the student - either due to academic reasons (IEP’s/504 plans or behavioral issues). Basing the Three Levels of Motivation on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs does create some distinct questions. According to the online article entitled Motivation in Theory Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, it states, “there is little empirical evidence to support the model. Three Levels of Motivation 6 Some critics suggest that Maslow’s model is only really relevant to understanding the behaviour of middle-class workers in the UK and the USA (where Maslow undertook his research)” (p. 2). According to VerWys, Maslow interviewed people he admired and knew with the list of people including Albert Einstein, Abraham Lincoln, and Eleanor Roosevelt – all people he thought were already self-actualized (p. 17). What about the lower socio-economic class? The same basic need may cause different behaviors in different individuals. Some students may enjoy interacting socially with others in projects while others may not. For Cao to base her motivation theory strictly on Maslow leaves room for criticisms of her theory. Smith makes a statement regarding Maslow’s work: “Although a large proportion of the needs he proposed have been upheld, the lack of support for the process of motivation suggests that Maslow has oversimplified that very complex dynamic practice of being human. He has perhaps lost some of the richness of life in his explanation and fails to capture the energy that is motivation” (p.20). Overall, I think Cao has a good theory of motivation, but I would question some of the very basic fundamentals on which she bases her theory. With social inequalities, it is difficult as a teacher to always include students and maintain “spirit de corpora” in the classroom. The entertainment level plays a huge part in motivating students, but the edification level is probably the toughest of the three levels. VerWys states “Maslow thought that only 2 % of the population were fully self-actualized” (p. 19). If the 2% includes adults, how are teachers truly going to get their students to the basic level, let alone the secondary level? It is great that Cao tells teachers to set high expectations and get their students to maximize their potential, but in reality as students move from one teacher to another teacher and one grade level to another grade level is reaching self-actualization actually possible? I think not – maybe in a perfect world where all the students have a family to go home to and enough money and food to go around. Three Levels of Motivation 7 REFERENCES Joyce, B., Weil, M., & Calhoun, E. (2004). Models of Teaching. 7th ed. Boston, MA: PrenticeHall, Inc. Motivation in Theory - Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Retrieved November 14, 2005, from http://www.tutor2u.net/business/people/motivation_theory_maslow.asp Smith, Louise J. Evaluating the applicability of Maslow’s models of motivation in ancillary staff. Sheffield, England. Retrieved November 10, 2005, from http://www.shu.ac.uk/research/fmgc/research/papers/evaluatingtheapplicabilityofmaslow.pdf VerWys, C. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Troy, NY. Retrieved November 10, 2005, from http://www.rpi.edu/~verwyc/MASLOWOH.htm Whitaker, T. (2004). What Great Teachers Do Differently. Larchmont, NY: Eye on Education, Inc.