Basic needs are part of motivation. They all have in common that there is something missing like hunger and thirst. These situations lead to an action to redress the person’s balance. When somebody is off balance,
he/she always recognises the need and acts. This conception is adequate for our basic needs (hunger, sleep…) but it is not evident for the learning process.
The Incentives-Conception
The Greek Philosophy of Hedonism is the foundation for this conception. This philosophy says that a person’s luck and goals are covered through the human being’s desire for pleasure-seeking. To reach this a person will try to:
avoid personal disadvantages gain personal advantages.
Consequently one tries to motivate a person in two different ways:
- Offering an attractive reward if the person takes a certain action - Threatening somebody with punishment when he/she fails.
The differences at the individual level are huge and this makes it difficult to satisfy everyone. Usually it is money that is used as reward.
The Humanistic Conception
The central thread of this theory is the idea that a person’s main motivation for all activities is the desire for a meaningful life. Several hypothesis became famous.
The MASLOW Theory
He says that men are guided by two factors: deficit-motives and ambition for growth. First the deficit motives have do be satisfied and subsequently the growth gains importance. There is the Maslow- pyramid which shows the order in which the desires have to be satisfied. This means that the needs on level one have to be satisfied, before concentrating on level two, and so on. However, when one focuses on this pyramid, several discrepancies are conspicuous with
regard to the different cultures: The order in Ghana or Africa in general might be different from the one presented below. Furthermore, a precise incision between social needs and desire for safety is not easily possible in an African country because it usually goes together.
But even for western cultures, Maslow could only show problems but not give solutions.
Maslow-pyramid, simplified
LEVEL 5 Desire for self-
realisation
(self-actualisation)
LEVEL 4
1.1 I-centred needs
LEVEL 3
1.2 Social desires
(friendships, connections, i i ) LEVEL 2
1.3 Desire for safety
( i l i i )
LEVEL 1
1.4 Physiological needs
(Hunger, thirst, sleep, as well as sufficient payment)
G R O W T H
D E F I C I T _ M O T I V E S
The theory of HERZBERG
Herzberg called his theory “the two factors theory”. In a research he was looking for factors that influences the satisfaction at the workplace.
He called them motivators. He called factors that lead to dissatisfaction at the workplace hygiene-factors. They are listed in the following chart.
Motivators Hygiene -Factors
1. achievement success 1. salary and status
2. acknowledgement 2. inter-personal relations 3. job-contents 3. management style 4. responsibility 4. company policy
5. opportunities for promotion 5. physical working conditions 6. opportunities for development 6. job guarantee
The so-called Pittsburg study showed, that motivators and hygiene- factors operate independently of each other. Highlighting the two scopes we recognise that motivators relate to the work itself and can therefore be called intrinsic motivation whereas the hygiene-factors describe the circumstances and therefore can be called the extrinsic motivation.
Additionally, the study indicated that motivators were mainly responsible for satisfaction while the hygiene-factors are for dissatisfaction.
Even though some results might be controversial, it is significant that satisfaction at the workplace is not exclusively a consequence of a good salary. The job itself and the perspectives for the future are very important too. This shows how substantial the attitude of teachers and trainees is in vocational education.
MC GREGOR’s X-Y-theory
Mc Gregor says that the type of instructor has big influence on the motivation of trainees. An authoritarian teacher has strict rules. He controls the teaching and does not allow much interaction of trainees.
He is called the X-type, whose image of man is based on mistrust.
The Y-type’s image of man is positive and defined by engagement and desire for self-realisation. This instructor has a co-operative style which gives room for trainees’ activity and is motivating.
This thesis too is not a doctrine but shows that teaching exclusively in the “presenting way” (see chapter 11) is outdated.
The Cognitive Conception
It is based on the theory that people are naturally curious and want to achieve a certain aim. This goal can be called calculable, because e.g.
an instructor can usually recognise the goal trainees have. This ability to estimate led to several motivational theories. A very important one for learning is the motivation to achievement.