Factors affecting motivation of students in learning / Thalath Latheef

Abstract

This is a qualitative research completed as the dissertation for MA Ed program. This research of interpretive design conducted in a school in the southern most area of this country with the aim to find the factors of motivation enabling learning answered three main questions; "What are the factors which motivate students in learning?", "What are the factors which mitigated the students' motivation to learn?" and "Among the factors which motivate students in learning, which factors can have a higher impact on students' motivation towards learning?"

The results were categorized according to the different themes; teaching content, teaching methods, the teacher and the students. These results were compared with the expectancy x value theory which is used as the theoretical framework for this research.

Among the main findings of the study is that when the teaching content was not interesting or perceived as too difficult the students had no motivation to learn it. The findings similarly indicate that the motivation of students is decreased when the same method of teaching is used. On the other the findings show that the factors contributing to students being motivated to learn include having a positive relationship with the teacher, having a content the student perceives as, not too difficult as well as interesting and useful. The most favorable motivating factors were found to be positive teacher-student relationship, interesting teaching content and differentiated methods of teaching. The students attempted work when they think they can attempt and complete it. Likewise, when they think it brings value to them as well.

After going through the findings it can be recommended that teachers should use a variety of teaching methods and use content which is interesting and relevant to their life and of value to them, meanwhile they don't perceive it as not too difficult.