Geography of
Motivation: A
Teacher’s Territory
Sarah Springsteen
Aug 7, 2012
Sandanona
SMAT 30
Zanzibar
Korea
Republic of Georgia
Saudi Arabia
What is Motivation
 Remember
Motivation affects performance,
 BUT
 Motivation is NOT performance.

 Many
other things affect performance.
What is Motivation
Cognitive ability
2. Affective filters
3. Relationship with Teacher
4. Relationship with Teaching Style
5. Relationship with learning in general
6. Relationship with IT
7. Culture’s relationship with IT
8. Family’s Relationship with IT
9. What positive result can come from knowing IT
10. Gender
11. Educational Culture at the School
12. Social Peers
13. Classroom Peers
1.
Motivation is…
Extrinsic
Intrinsic
“motivation is not static but
dynamically evolving and
changing in time” (Dornyei
and Otto ,1998)
Teacher’s Terrain
Teacher’s Terrain
 What
is in our direct control/influence –
 What
is in our indirect control/influence –
 How
does this change for you in different
situations?
Teacher’s Terrain



In US study results (Gardner, 1985 p.50) points
out that mean correlation between teacher
and grades is statistically significant but low.
Perception of teacher as providing
informative feedback in a non controlling
manner were more important for selfperceptions of competence and autonomy
than simply whether the teacher is perceived
positively or negatively (Noels, in Press)
BUT STILL correlation was not high.
Teacher’s Terrain
 In
studies (Inbar, Donitsa-Schmidt &
Shohamy) of Israeli classrooms it indicates
that students give high priority to
classroom relevant aspects of L2
instruction.
 In a study by Williams Burden &AlBaharna, Ss in Bahrain rated teaching
methods 8th of 11 on factors that cause
success but 1st on a list of causes for
failure.
Teacher’s Terrain
 Weighting
one factor over another
(extrinsic or intrinsic) will differ based on
context, culture,and individual (Ts and Ss).
Teacher’s Terrain
1. Capture Student Interest in the Subject
Matter.
2. Highlight the Relevance of the Subject
Matter.
3. Help Students Maintain Expectations for
Success.
Teacher’s Terrain
4. Design the Lesson to Maintain Interest
and Promote Student Success
5. Express Interest in the Content and
Project Enthusiasm.
6. Provide Feedback and Rewards for
Performance.
Teacher’s Terrain
 What
 What
do you do to motivate students?
has a teacher done in the past to
motivate you?
Feedback
 Compared
to all other factors involved,
what do you feel is a teacher’s place in
affecting student motivation?
 Are there any other points you’d like to
hear more about?
 If I were to give this presentation again
what would you recommend to improve
it?