Motivation and Learning

Abstract

Studies show among a variety of (individual and environmental) factors effective on learning and learners’ educational progress, motivation plays a prominent and perhaps more important role. A proper identification and analysis of learners’ motivation is highly significant in the effectiveness of teaching-learning activities. This article aims to increase readers’ knowledge and understanding of the concept of motivation, its significance and effective factors on it and to assist in using it in choosing teaching-learning strategies. In this direction, some scientific sources relevant to the study and content of this writing have been collected and summarized. In this writing, concepts such as motivation, motive and one of the types of motivation important in education that is integrative motivationhave been studied then the significance of motivation inteaching-learning procedures, and finally effective factors on the learners’ motivation have been briefly described. Motivation refers to a combination of one’s attitudes, desires and willingness to expend effort in order to achieve a special goal.Integrative motivationis prominently significant in education and it is usually correlated with the learners’ actual performance on attainment of goals. Students’ performance in education varies according to the level of theirintegrative motivation.Motivation is a very important factor and often far more significant than intelligencein learning. Students’motivation for learning can be affected by a set of correlated factors which may consist of curriculum quantitatively and qualitatively, features of the teacher, learner and educational environment, learning activities and other environmental factors. Knowing these factors aids the teacher to choose appropriate teaching-learning activities and strategies, to interact effectively with learners and also to improve the teaching effectiveness.