Motivation in the

Classroom
Usman Riyadi,S.S
Overview
Definition of Motivation
Approaches in Motivation
Motivation: Theory into Practice
Comparing the approaches in the
Australian and Malaysian Primary
School Classrooms
Should we make changes or go with
the flow?
Conclusion
 What is Motivation?
Motivation is defined as an internal state
that arouses, directs and maintains
behaviour (Woolfolk, 2004).
Motivation is thought to be responsible for
"why people decide to do something, how
long they are willing to sustain the activity
and how hard they are going to pursue it"
(Drnyei, 2001).
In own simple words,
by giving them a MOTIVE to do students
To make so. want to do
what you want them to do
 Approaches

Behaviourist Approach
Cognitivist Approach
Humanistic Approach
 Behaviourist Approach
Humans are motivated to perform or
repeat certain behaviours if they are
rewarded and de-motivated to do so
if they are punished.
Students know that good behaviours
will be rewarded and there are
consequences for misbehaviours.
Positive reinforcements are more
likely to be used.
Cognitivist Approach
Banduras Self-efficacy Theory
Self-efficacy can determine
whether or not student will
engage in a learning task and
whether or not the student will
persist in his or her efforts to
master the task.
Influenced by:
Mastery experiences
Vicarious experiences
Social persuasion
Cognitivist Approach
Banduras Self-efficacy Theory
Self-efficacy can determine
whether or not student will
engage in a learning task and
whether or not the student will
persist in his or her efforts to
master the task.
Influenced by:
Mastery experiences
Vicarious experiences
Social persuasion
Physiological and emotional
Humanistic Approach
Humans are motivated towards
certain behaviours because of
self-actualisation.
The goal is to enable students to
enhance their experiences of
themselves so that they become
less defensive and more open to
learning from their experience.
E.g: Teacher gives freedom to
students so that they feel
responsible for their own
 Comparing Australian and
Malaysian Primary School
Classrooms
Australian Classrooms Malaysian Classrooms
Most students like to go to school
Students desire praise from the teacher
Students learn because they are motivated
Students are keen to contribute ideas
Students sees their teacher as a
caring figure
Emphasises on REWARDS in teaching
self-discipline.
Most students dislike attending school
Students fear the teachers punishment
Students learn because they fear worse if
they do not learn
Students are scared to make mistakes
Students respect their teacher because
of the authority
Emphasises on FEAR in teaching discipline.
Is canning still a routine in
Malaysian classrooms
today?
 Caning is revived in
Malaysian Schools
MoE brings corporal punishment back to school
after 3 years it since was banned in 2006.
Reason?
We need to take such preventive measure
because students today are too creative in
breaking the rules, Deputy Education Minister,
Wee Ka Siong told the Agence France-Presse
(AFP) on Tuesday (7th April 2009).
The answer to parents?
We will allow the headmaster or anyone who
is authorised to carry out the punishment,
while parents will be informed and invited to
witness the canning to avoid
Is corporal punishment an effective
solution?
Effects of punishment are only temporary and
produces aggression (Strassberg, Dodge, Pettit &
Bates, 1994).
Accumulated research supports the theory that
corporal punishment is an ineffective discipline
strategy with children of all ages and, furthermore,
that it most often produces anger, resentment, and
low self-esteem in the victim (Paintal, 2007).
As a negative impact for the future, corporal
punishment sends a message to the child that
violence is a viable option for solving problems
(Straus, Gelles, & Steinmetz, 1980; Straus,
Sugarman,& Giles-Sims, 1997).
 Conclusion
Motivation is a better way to teach self-discipline
compared to corporal punishment.
Corporal punishment has more long-term
negative impacts on the student compared to the
temporary effects.
It is important that we reflect on the positive
practices we observed and learnt from the
Australian schools and bring changes to the
Malaysian Education system.
We can prove that corporal punishment is
unnecessary in the education system, starting
with our own class of students.
 References
Agence France-Presse (AFP) (2009, April 7). Hukuman rotan diberlakukan
lagi di sekolah
Malaysia. [Canning is revived in Malaysian Schools]. DetikNews.
Retrieved May 20, 2009 from
http://www.detiknews.com/read/2009/04/07/141024/1111707/10/huku
man-rotan- diberlakukan-lagi-di-sekolah-malaysia
Dornyei, Zoltan. (2001). Motivational Strategies in the Language
Classroom. Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press.
Paintal, S. (2007). Banning corporal punishment of children. An ACEI
Position Paper. International Focus Issue 2007, p410-413.
Strassberg, Z., Dodge, K. A., Pettit, G. S., & Bates, J. E.(1994). Spanking in
the home and childrens subsequent aggression toward kindergarten
peers. Development and Psychopathology, 6, p445-461.
Straus, M. A., Sugarman, D. B., & Giles-Sims. (1997). Corporal punishment
by parents and subsequent antisocial behavior of children. Archives of
Pediatrics and AdolescentMedicine, 155, 761-767.
Woolfolk, A. (2004). Educational psychology (9th ed.) Pearson A & B.