1. Theories and models of motivation The role of motivation in the teaching and learning process

THE ROLE OF MOTIVATION IN TEACHING MIXED ABILITY CLASSES
PLAN
1. Theories and models of motivation
2. The role of motivation in the teaching and learning process
3. Improving students motivation in mixed ability classroom
4. Teaching English in the mixed ability classes

INTRODUCTION

The theme of my course work is the role of motivation in teaching mixed ability classes. Motivation helps in focusing on goals and initiates to develop the learning abilities. Motivation is the tool to bring effectiveness in the teaching learning process. Thus, motivation is the way of achieving the desired goals in the life and enhances the abilities to do what we want to do.Motivation will help him achieve his personal goals. If an individual is motivated, he will have job satisfaction. Motivation will help in self-development of individual. An individual would always gain by working with a dynamic team. There is a temptation for the educator to focus on the more advanced students. Actually, whole-class instructions and standards as well as a single interpretation of ideas are common in a traditional classroom.
Motivation is a Psychological or internal process. It creates an interest in learning among young learners. It brings energy mobilization. It helps to sustain attention in one's efforts or tasks.
Students in the mixed ability grouping system showed significantly higher motivation than those in the leveled grouping system. As to the attitudes toward their own grouping system, students were generally content with their current systems, while there was a trend that students in the mixed ability grouping system preferred the leveled grouping system
I investigate the full information about motivation and mixed ability classes.
Mixed ability as used in ELT usually refers to the differences that exist in a group in terms of different levels of language proficiency. The differences which cause problems in heterogeneous classes are in language learning ability, learning experience, mother tongue, cultural background, preferred learning style, motivation and others. Even though students are grouped according to their placement test scores, their progress rates are bound to be at different levels. Due to the mentioned differences students react to the teaching material and teaching methods individually. It is difficult to find activities that involve all the students without some getting bored and others being confused, insecure or discouraged. Weaker students not being able to follow the pace, to understand information or to express their ideas and stronger students not being tolerant to them may result in classroom management problems. Thus, teachers need to have a range of strategies for managing mixed ability classes.

1. Theories and models of motivation.

Motivation is a state of mind, filled with energy and enthusiasm, which drives a person to work in a certain way to achieve desired goals. Motivation is a force that pushes people to work with a high level of commitment and focus, even if things are going against them. Motivation translates into a certain kind of human behavior. In short, motivation is the driving force behind human actions¹.
There are many different forces that guide and direct our motivations. It is important to ensure that every team member in an organization is motivated and meets bottomline. Various psychologists have studied human behavior and have formalized their findings in the form of various motivational theories. These motivational theories provide insights into the way people behave and what motivates them.
Motivation theory is a way of looking at the motivation of a person and how this influences their behavior, whether for personal or professional reasons. It's important to every aspect of society but is especially relevant to business and management. Motivation is the key to more profitable employees, as a motivated employee is more productive.
Motivation is a huge field of study. Psychologists have proposed many different theories of motivation. Some of the most famous motivational theories include the following:
Maslow’s Theory of Hierarchical Needs
Abraham Maslow postulated that a person will be motivated when all his needs are fulfilled. People do not work for security or money, but they work to contribute and to use their skills. He demonstrated this by creating a pyramid to show how people are motivated and mentioned that one cannot ascend to the next level unless lower-level needs are fulfilled.

2. The role of motivation in the teaching and learning process..

Physiological needs: are basic needs for survival such as air, sleep, food, water, clothing, sex, and shelter. Safety needs: Protection from threats, deprivation, and other dangers (e.g., health, secure employment, and property) Social (belongingness and love) needs: The need for association, affiliation, friendship, and so on. Self-esteem needs: The need for respect and recognition. Self-actualization needs: The opportunity for personal development, learning, and fun/creative/challenging work. Self-actualization is the highest-level need to which a human being can aspire. The leader will have to understand at what level the team members are currently, and seek out to help them to satisfy those specific needs and accordingly work to help fulfil those needs. This will help the team members perform better and move ahead with the project. Motivation is defined as a process driven by the learners; that is, a language learner “wants to achieve a particular goal, devotes considerable effort to achieve this goal, and experiences satisfaction in the activities associated with achieving this goal”². Therefore, motivation is recognized as being of great importance to successful language acquisition .
For example, Gardner postulates that the primary determining factor in successful language learning is motivation. Since Gardner, the concept of language learning motivation has become a central component in the theories of SLA .The most dominant model of motivation is Gardner and Lambert’s ( socio-educational framework that “has influenced virtually all second language related research in this area” . In this model of language learning, two major motivation factors for language learning are identified: integrative and instrumental motivation. Integrative motivation refers to learners’ positive attitudes toward the target language group and their intention to integrate with members of the group. Instrumental orientation implies functional reasons and utilitarian values for learning a target language, such as to pass a required examination or to get a career promotion. In addition, Gardner also defines motivation to learn a second language as “the extent to which the individual works or strives to learn the language because of a desire to do so and the satisfaction experienced in this activity”.
There are three major components in this definition: devoted effort, a desire to learn, and satisfaction with the task. Gardner further proposed that all three components are necessary to evaluate the degree and intensity of motivation in language learning. Keller defined motivation in his education-oriented theory as “the choices people make as to what experiences or goals they will approach or avoid, and the degree of effort they will exert in that respect” . Crookes and Schmidt suggested an expanded definition of language learning. They claim that the language learning motivation has both internal and external aspects. Internal aspects include interest level, perception of relevance, expectancy of success or failure, and perception of rewards. External behavioral aspects include the overt decision to learn, persistent learning behavior, and high involvement³.
Ellis proposed a general definition of motivation. He postulated that motivation refers to “the effort, which learners put into learning a second language as a result of their need or desire to learn it” . Dickinson emphasized cognitive motivation and claimed that “definitions of cognitive motivation are concerned with what learners are prepared to exert in order to learn it” Dornyei argued that
Gardner’s motivation construction does not cover the cognitive aspects of the motivation to learn. He also claimed that Gardner’s model “is on general motivational components grounded in the social milieu rather than in the foreign language classroom” Dornyei further provided a new view of language learning motivation and identified three levels of the second language learner’s motivation: the language level, the learner level, and the learning situation level.
The language level involves an integrative motivational subsystem and an instrumental motivational subsystem. The learner level includes the need for achievement and self-confidence. Four subcomponents are identified under self-confidence, such as language use anxiety, perceived second language competence, causal attributions, and self-efficacy. The learning situation level consists of three components: course-specific motivational components, teacher-specific motivational components, and group-specific motivational components Dornyei’s model covers a comprehensive range of components in language learning motivation, for example, the cognitive components such as attribution theory and self-efficacy. The attribution theory refers to how causal attributions of past failures and successes affect future learning experiences and the expectancy of reaching goals. For example, according to the attribution theory, learners attribute their failure either to low language ability or to the difficulty of a task. These beliefs diminish the learners’ expectation of future success more than if they attribute the failure to bad luck or to a lack of effort. Self-efficacy “refers to an individual’s judgment of his or her ability to perform a specific action” In general, high selfefficacy encourages learners to maintain higher goals, standards, and persistence in language learning. Oxford and Shearin also explored additional motivational theories, such as the need theory, the instrumentality theory, the equity theory, the reinforcement theory, and the cognitive developmental theory. Each of these theories enlarges the existing construction of motivation. In general, the components of Oxford and Shearin’s model have resonated with the ideas in Dornyei’s model of foreign language learning motivation.⁴ In the current study, leveled ability grouping was defined as “achievement grouping,” whereas the placement criteria were based on academic performance level in the specific subject. The instructional practices were matched to the level of the instructional group. On the other hand, mixed ability grouping referred to a traditional approach in which students were grouped by age and instructional practices varied by grade level. There has been a longstanding debate within research on grouping practices over the advantages and disadvantages of ability grouping (Grossen, 1996). Defenders believe that ability grouping increases students’ achievement by allowing teachers to focus on instruction. Teachers can adjust the pace of instruction to students’ needs. Slavin reviewed different types of ability grouping in elementary schools and found that some types of grouping benefit students’ achievement, such as 1) heterogeneous grouping – students are grouped heterogeneously for most of the school day, but regrouped according to ability for one or two subjects, 2) non-graded instruction – students are grouped according to ability rather than age and that allows students to progress at their own rates 3) in-class grouping – students are grouped into different ability-based groups within the class environment. However, he emphasized that grouping students as a class by ability for all subjects doesn’t improve achievement. On the other hand, critics such as Wheelock argued that ability grouping does not benefit any student, and viewed it as harmful and unnecessary. He stated for example, that using particular measures of intelligence to distinct groups for purposes of teaching and learning are subjective and questionable. He further claimed that ability grouping leads to students taking on certain labels, often in their own minds, in their peers’ minds, and in the minds of their teachers⁵. He concluded that this approach creates as many problems as it was designed to solve.
The profile of the motivation among the students in this study has shown that the average motivation was much higher than that of other populations in different educational levels . Since consistent relationships have been demonstrated between motivation, attitudes and language achievement, motivation is extremely important for second language learning . However, compared to the overall high motivational orientation of the participants, the category of Efforts to Learn and a Desire to Use the Language was relatively low. It might be reasonable to argue that the deficiency of efforts to learn, and a desire to use English might have its roots in the inefficiency of language curricula, the insufficiency of only a few hours of English instruction per week, and the lack of input-rich environments. The current educational system may not provide sufficient language training to students and, therefore, may affect their learning attitudes. It is possible that providing a vivid language curriculum is the most important means to increase students’ motivation to learn and use the language in their earliest stages of learning. Given the high degree of motivation in learning English among the participants, it can be assumed that students have a strong potential to achieve their desired goals of acquiring high proficiency in English. Furthermore, a closer examination of the motivation analysis suggests that the highest motivation categories obtained by these students were integrative and instrumental types. The job-getting or exam-passing goals fall within the category of instrumental motivation, as opposed to integrative motivation, where language proficiency is needed to interact with native speakers of a target language.
The highly instrumental motivation might be explained by Dornyei’s motivation theory, indicating that instrumental goals are more likely to contribute to motivation for foreign language learners than for second language learners. At the same time, students showed strong integrative motivation, which is possibly due to the fact that in recent years, students have been increasingly exposed to foreign culture and have more opportunities to communicate with people from the target language community. The teachers, being the focal figure in education, must be competent and knowledgeable in order to impart the knowledge they could give to their students⁶. Good teaching is a very personal manner. Effective teaching is concerned with the student as a person and with his general development. The teacher must recognize individual differences among his/her students and adjust instructions that best suit to the learners. It is always a fact that as educators, we play varied and vital roles in the classroom. Teachers are considered the light in the classroom. We are entrusted with so many responsibilities that range from the very simple to most complex and very challenging jobs. Everyday we encounter them as part of the work or mission that we are in. It is very necessary that we need to understand the need to be motivated in doing our work well, so as to have motivated learners in the classroom. When students are motivated, then learning will easily take place. However, motivating students to learn requires a very challenging role on the part of the teacher. It requires a variety of teaching styles or techniques just to capture students’ interests. Above all, the teacher must himself come into possession of adequate knowledge of the objectives and standards of the curriculum, skills in teaching, interests, appreciation and ideals. He needs to exert effort to lead children or students into a life that is large, full, stimulating and satisfying. Some students seem naturally enthusiastic about learning, but many need or expect their instructors or teachers to inspire, challenge or stimulate them.
“Effective learning in the classroom depends on the teacher’s ability to maintain the interest that brought students to the course in the first place⁷. Not all students are motivated by the same values, needs, desires and wants. Some students are motivated by the approval of others or by overcoming challengesTeachers must recognize the diversity and complexity in the classroom, be it the ethnicity, gender, culture, language abilities and interests.
Getting students to work and learn in class is largely influenced in all these areas. Classroom diversity exists not only among students and their peers but may be also exacerbated by language and cultural differences between teachers and students. Since 2003, many foreign professional teachers, particularly from the Philippines, came to New York City to teach with little knowledge of American school settings. Filipino teachers have distinct styles and expressions of teaching.
They expect that: education is interactive and spontaneous; teachers and students work together in the teaching-learning process; students learn through participation and interaction; homework is only part of the process; teaching is an active process; students are not passive learners; factual information is readily available; problem solving, creativity and critical thinking are more important; teachers should facilitate and model problem solving; students learn by being actively engaged in the process; and teachers need to be questioned and challenged. However, many Filipino teachers encountered many difficulties in teaching in NYC public schools. Some of these problems may be attributed to: students’ behavior such as attention deficiency, hyperactivity disorder, and disrespect among others; and language barriers such as accent and poor understanding of languages other than English⁸.
As has been said, what happens in the classroom depends on the teacher’s ability to maintain students’ interests. Thus, teachers play a vital role in effecting classroom changes. As stressed in the Educator’s Diary published in 1995, “teaching takes place only when learning does.” Considering one’s teaching style and how it affects students’ motivation greatly concerns the researchers. Although we might think of other factors, however, emphasis has been geared towards the effect of teacher’s teaching style and student motivationParticular situations trigger interest, which can then develop across situations and over time to become more enduring.
First, features of the environment catch the person’s attention. This situational interest can last longer, beyond a single situation, if tasks seem meaningful and involving. Over time, repeated experiences of triggered and maintained situational interest can develop into an emerging individual interest, such that the individual seeks opportunities to reengage with the object.
For example, if the student who was originally fascinated by the Monet painting also enjoys the teacher’s lecture about the Impressionist movement and then notices and appreciates the Monet reproductions on display at the dentist’s office, the student may decide to Google Monet’s paintings and order his biography from the library. Finally, this emerging individual interest can develop into a self-sustaining, well-developed, individual interest.
Progress through these phases requires an environment that supports individual pursuit of interests. For example, a school field trip to an art museum can foster a student’s developing interest in art. As individuals progress through these developmental phases, their connection to the object of interest becomes more stable and generalizable. Interest development begins in a specific situation, but by the time those interests are well developed, individuals make conscious choices and pursue their interests autonomously. The four-phase model of interest development has implications for teaching practices. First, the model contends that interest develops gradually and that external support can foster interest. This also implies that, without external support, interest can go dormant or even be abandoned. Second, the model indicates that students at different stages of interest development may benefit from different types of external support. When students are unfamiliar with a topic, teachers may be able to create environments that catch their attention.
When students enter a situation with some pre-existing interest, however, teachers may be able to maintain those interests with interventions to expand their knowledge of the topic and solidify its perceived value. Thus, teachers can stimulate students’ developing new interests in the first two phases , and maintain or strengthen interests for students in the second two phases . In so doing, teachers can foster students’ motivation and achievement.Cultivating interest should not be an afterthought to the typical learning situation: Interest is essential to academic success. Interventions to develop students’ interest matter in any educational context, but may be most needed in academic domains that many students do not find initially interesting or those domains in which interest typically declines over time.