EDUCATIONAL MOTIVATION FOR THE STUDENTS: WITH REFERENCE TO THE IRANIAN STUDENTS IN INDIA

Farahnaz Yousefi

M.A in English Literature from Ferguson College, University of Pune 

Abstract

Motivation is one of the important factors for students to learn, specially learning English language, which is an international language. This article focuses on the definition of motivation and its types, the need for motivation, teacher’s role for motivating students, the effect of technology for motivation and handicaps for Iranian students, who wish to learn English.

Introduction

The reason for choosing this topic is to better understand the complexities of learning English that a student faces when he attempts to master another language that is not his mother tongue. The task is not impossible, yet it is not easy. It calls for a high degree of dedications, determination, rationale and interest. The stimulation cannot just be extrinsic, but it has to come more intrinsically. Motivation for students has been chosen as the subject of this paper to comprehend more clearly, what aspects of motivation touch the students.

The generation of today has to be goaded to study well. They prefer to use short cuts to understand certain subjects the students’ community does not indulge in deep debates to issue of life. They look upon exams as necessary evil and botheration where has to be tackled on war footing.

The student of today seems to forget that education is to help him to gain comprehension and reasoning ability and knowledge about his area of study. He also forgets that sometimes in life, he might be called upon to use his knowledge for the society or institution he might be with. In such situation, he will find himself lacking the necessary information and wanting in certain spheres. Such individual will soon develop low self - esteem which will be detrimental to his mental health. The purpose of this paper is to understand the subject of motivation and the role it plays in the academic situation of students. Its purpose is to comprehend success and failure and other learning related attitudes and believes which hamper or aid a student to achieve well in academic spheres.

Definition & Types of Motivation

Motivation is the process by which an interest is stimulated in a person towards a thing, a fact or knowledge. Motivation requires drive, influence, inspiration, prompt and encouragement. The reason behind the action of a person and his willingness to do something are all placed at the door of motivation. Motivation can be broadly classified into two categories:

a) External    motivation: when we speak of external motivation, we mean external factor that act as impetus and stimulate a goal directed behavior. For example one feels, one is at a seaside just by looking at a picture of rocks and seas. Here the stimuli come from an external source. So also, students are motivated to pursue a certain mode of study because they see that others who have done such a course have done well in life. Therefore, a higher standard of living is visible and becomes external stimuli, which motivate others to follow the same course. However, for sustaining the impetus brought by external stimuli, the students must also have the necessary qualifications, motivation, and resources. There are some strategies for external motivation, which are as follow.

1) Challenges: in each student there lies, the dormant need to excel. Brilliant student do not get motivated until the task allotted is tough. Gifted behavior becomes obvious when they are challenged beyond their comfort zone. They evolve strategies that become milestones to success.

2) Secure environment: brilliant and gifted students are usually challenged by tough tasks, but may not be mentally prepared to handle massive failures. So it is the need of the hour to create an environment that is safe and secure, where failures are seen as stepping-stones to success. Making tasks easy is not to motivate, but to breed boredom students. A teacher, who is also motivated by the topic he deals with, must externally motivate them. All teachers have to convey that effort and struggle are important aspects of development of skill, and motivation and successes are by products of using skill and intelligence. External motivation plays an important part in motivating and encouraging students to find alternative strategies to solve problems and assess the merits and demerits of a certain situation.

b) Internal motivation: this type of motivation is from within and we can say it is intrinsic. Here not much goading is required to make a person perform, some activity. The inclination to do the task and awareness about the joys of doing it are already existent in the person. Such an individual only needs to be directed towards the methods of accomplishing a task and reaching great heights. The process of learning is not difficult, however, it provides enjoyment and facilities retention.

The intrinsic motivation has higher capacity to influence an individual than external motivations. Intrinsic motivation is developed when there is an innate talent or a natural nurturing of natural curiosity. Highly motivated individuals have high degree of intrinsic motivation. They have high self- worth, competence, and self-efficiency and tremendous faith to face challenges and pursuit. Intrinsic motivation can be considered as a blessing. Most creative artists and inventors are intrinsically motivated and have an ability to think beyond the confines of limited vision.

Why Students should be Motivated

Education of a child begins when he comes out of his mother’s womb, so the mother plays the most important role of a teacher in the child's life. However, as he grows older, he is sent to school and is imparted with information and knowledge by various teachers both skilled and unskilled.

The child picks up his mother tongue by intrinsic motivation and develops language skills, which are acquired from the environment by constant exposure. An infinite trust also helps this acquisition and the child is not discerning. However, it is at the stage of discernment, that the child goes to school. At that period, if attempts are made to clear concepts and instill logical thinking, the child learns to utilize the skills. After this he only needs some intrinsic motivation to find his path in life. So students need motivation to help understand their limitation, and competencies. They must understand that success and failure are two sides of the same coin. Without ability and effort nothing can be gained, but with ability and effort, but lacking in motivation also can lead to failure.

The students have to be motivated to understand that learning situations are many and varied and alertness of mind helps to remember the lessons. The teachers and parents have a role to play in motivating students to achieve their best. Their role is of a facilitator, who provides strategies, structures and challenges, so that students may develop competency, become engaged, and empowered individuals. Maslow's hierarchy theory holds good for the motivation of the students. The students have a psychological need to be driven to achieve in a safe and secure environment. They also need love and sense of belonging. However, most of all, they need self-esteem to develop self worth and reach a sense of self- fulfillment.

Some Factors & Learning with Technology for Motivation of Students

In the globalize world technology is a major factor for the education. We can see how radio helped to develop and popularize a taste for music. Similarly, the TV brought other worlds into our drawing room. Today listing aids help us to overcome our deficiencies in pronunciation.

As for the computer, a tool can at once be a teacher and an entertainer. It is one the best tools of the century. It helps the students to generate, obtain manipulate and display information. In a computerized environment, the teacher is only a facilitator. The student must have intrinsic motivation to explore and widen his horizons. The teacher’s role is only that of a key, which opens the door. It is for the student to walk in to the world, understand the nuances of information available, and understand its application. The teacher however must be skilled enough to understand the student’s limitations and help him to overcome diffidence and make friends with technology. A child who depends upon external motivation would require a teacher, who can explain which information to utilize and which to reject. Psychology and mental make up of both students and teacher come in to play when technology is used to educate the student. Most teachers abdicate their responsibility to a machine.

Today students have a lot of information but very little application or knowledge. It is important that a teacher using technology in a classroom also help the students to rationalize and draw conclusions on their own. It is often seen that nowadays there are people who speak very well but cannot express sentiments or ideas correctly. So students have to be motivated to read and comprehend beyond the rage of technology. They must be aware that the process a brain, far superior to the man-made computer and mind has ability to think and create, which is far superior to a tool like the computer. Man drives technology and technology can never drive man. This is an important fact of motivation.

The Effect of Technology on Students  & Classroom 

a)      Technology in a classroom helps to define a task

b)     Set goals

c)      Establish criteria

d)     Research and gather information

e)      Activate prior knowledge

f)       Organize, analyze and integrate information

Technology forces a student to think critically and to feel connected. Technology enhances the technical skills of the student. It also stops the focus on rote learning. The students gain a sense of importance and self-empowerment. Since computer applications involve the use of eye and ear in learning, the students are even more motivated. They use sound, animations, transition, and special effects to produce high quality work. The challenges and correction methods also make computers and other technology tools intriguing to the students.

Role of Teacher vis-à-vis Students

The teacher is a prime motivator in student’s life. Teachers, who are indifferent to subjects, they teach, produce students that are less motivated and less creative. Teachers who lay down the rule rather strictly, also act as deterrents to motivation. A true teacher should first be able to do a “SWOT” (Strengths, Weakness, Opportunity, Threat) analysis of his student and then set about to reawaken learning abilities in a child. The prime role of an    instructor should be to set goals and teach students to achieve those   goals. The student must himself be able to analyze his                                                              mistakes, criticize his own work, self-evaluate under eagle eye of the teacher. The teacher must understand that all students are not equally motivated s0me need more push and encouragement than others. The teacher must have a passion for the subject, he teaches and be enthusiastic to collect relevant information to make the process of learning not only interesting but also long lasting and memorable. The teacher must have a mental map of the student’s strength and interest and use them as stepping-stones to hold the interest of the student. The teacher must allow the students to express and debate opinion different from his. The teacher has to vary methods of teaching and assessing. All tests must be to emphasize mastery and learning than to achieve grades. All assignments must help students to explore and understand the Content and retain it. The feedback from a teacher must contain remarks, which are both positive and negative. Teacher has an important role in building self-esteem and helping to achieve and self-actualization. Therefore, we can say that teachers are the cornerstones of a creative society.

Handicaps for Iranian Students, who wish to learn English Language  

English language in Iran is taught only as subject school and not as a medium of communication. It is only a foreign language in Iran.     English is an international language.  In order to keep contact with others in the world Iranian students need to learn English. It is also a library language and most of the reference books have been written in English. So to improve their knowledge, learning English is very    essential for Iranian students. Some students are themselves interested in learning English and so they improve the skills in English, but some students need to be motivated. The teachers play very important role both in Iran and other foreign countries like India to motivate students. Student from Iran comes to India to be exposed to a culture which is akin to his, but where the use of English is done without hurdles. One of the first problems that a student from Iran faces is of orientation. He has to accept that he is in a world of unequal competition.

The fellow Indian students come from schools, where they have studied for ten years in English. The language and its nuances are not new to them. They are also adjusted to the system of testing which requires rote learning. The Iranian student comes from an atmosphere where rote learning is not prevalent. He also picks up some grammar and then attempts to graduate and does post-graduate. All time encountering the handicap of not having a fluent vocabulary and method of expression. Several of them return disappointed to their country.

The students of Iran must realize that reading is an essential part of education. Therefore, they must motivate themselves to read in groups, analyze, and debate in the language in which they wish to take exams. The Iranian students must also realize that they must get down to study before others as otherwise they will not comprehend what the teacher is talking about. Soon this creates low self-esteem and a sense of betrayal. At such times, it is easy for Iranian students to slip into depression and suffer from low self-worth.

Some of the students may take escapism and believe like ostrich in the sand that what they cannot see dose not exist.  Iranian students need to address the problem of not knowing the language as soon as they come to India. Along with grammar and spoken English, they must motivate themselves to do thorough reading of their texts. They must debate and analyze the content and retain important facts in their minds.

The next step is to learn to translate these facts into English. The last step is to put them in a cohesive whole as answers on an answer paper. They must spend time in understanding the questions asked and then formulate the answer. There must be a cause and effect relationship in all their actions. They have to develop their own individual skills and strategies to counter the challenges that they come across. There should be focus on understanding, adaptation and assimilation in a society and culture different from theirs. The key to success lies in finding, a teacher who is motivated, enthusiastic and can be a role model, whose prime intention is not to fleece the rich foreigner but to make him rich with knowledge and culture.

Understanding and achieving a fair level of competency is very essential for Iranian students and they must use opportunities as learning experience to enhance their skills. They must also remember that failures are stepping stand to success and not the end of the road. Often the winner is one who did not give up despite the odds.

Conclusion

In conclusion, we can say that motivation is an essential method to drive someone to act upon something. The latest dimension of this is the theory of self-determination. This theory underlines the fact that students who are achievers have three types of needs:

a.       Need for competence

b.      Need to relate to fellow- students

c.       Need for autonomy  

The first need has to be developed early in school days, where the student is taught to be dissatisfied with his progress and is motivated to try to improve himself. The second need comes with comparison and competition where, values of fair and unfair, ethical and unethical have to be impressed. The last need is the need to initiate and explore all alone and regulate oneself. The teacher who is able to inculcate these in a student becomes the prime motivators in the child's life. Such a teacher is called guru in Indian environment. He is the man who motivates a student to move from darkness of ignorance to the study light of intelligence and wisdom. 

Bibliography

 ● Understanding of Psychology; Robert S. Feldman.

 ● Organizational Behavior; Fred Luthans.

 ● Intrinsic Motivation & Self-determination in Human Behavior; Deci / E.L & Ryan, R.M (1985).

 ● Psychology applied to teaching By: Biehler, Robert F. Snowman, Jack (1993).

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