MotivationEmail helpme@cqu.edu.auwww.studentservices.cqu.edu.au

Motivation

Motivation = forces acting either on or within a person to initiate behaviour.

Am I Thinking:• “I need motivation!!”• ‘I have no motivation!!”• ‘I’m just not motivated!!”

YES YOU ARE!!

You have plenty of motivation …......... you

engage in many different behaviours every day!

The Difficulty Is……

The motivation to engage in one activity (watch a movie with friends) at any given moment is stronger than the motivation to engage in another activity (study).

The challenge is for us to……• Shift the balance of motivational strength to support

one activity rather than another.• Have the balance of motivational strength that

activates the behaviours that support the goals you have set out to achieve (i.e. completing a university degree)

Just HOW does one do that??!!

“Achievement Promotes and Fuels Motivation”

SO• Set yourself up to achieve!!• Set SMART goals

• S = specific• M = measurable• A = achievable• R = relevant• T = time framed

• then…..Break these goals into smaller goals.

For Example: Obtaining a Degree in Science

Break it down:• Pass all courses this semester• Pass course A• Complete first piece of assessment for course A• Read the material for course A• Weekly schedule for completion of parts of assessment• Weekly/Daily schedule for reading course material

“we are motivated when we have achieved”

“Expectations/Attitudes Affect Motivation”

Do you expect to pass this course?

or

Do you expect to fail?

If You Have the Attitude…..

•“I’ll give it a go but I probably won’t pass; •I’ll never keep up with the study…..”

Chances are you won’t!

It’s time for an ATTITUDE change!!!

A Change in Attitude IS Possible

Tell yourself everyday (literally) • “I’m going to succeed”• “I plan to pass this course”

Put signs up on your bathroom mirror, on your fridge etc….

• “I expect and am planning to pass (course

name)”

Motivation will Increase

• How much you value a task (i.e study, doing

assignments, doing projects etc.) affects motivation• Value is the usefulness, importance you place

on a task• If you see value in doing the task - motivation

increases• If you see no value in doing the task –

motivation decreases

• In your program of study, you may be faced with tasks in which you see little value and you’re having trouble getting motivated to complete the task.

• Search for value……• If nothing else….– the task is required to pass the course and

passing the course is valuable to me– the course is required to obtain my

qualification and that is valuable to me

So…..

Rather than engage in negative mumble jumble……

Example:• “don’t know why we have to do this stupid activity”• “I don’t see the relevance of this”• “what does this have to do with being a ____”• “this is just silly”• “I’ve got better things to do than_____”

Which will Decrease Motivation

Engage in positive self talk, keep telling yourself:

• “Completing this task is required to reach my goal of completing this course, so I will complete this task”

• “when I have completed this task I will be one step closer to successfully completing this course”

• “When I have completed this course I will be one step closer to obtaining my qualifications”

• “Passing this course and getting qualified in ____ is very important to me so I will get this task completed”

Motivation will Increase

Being Interested in and Enjoying a Task Creates High Motivation

Are you doing your program of study just because you want the piece of paper at the end or because you want the piece of paper AND you want the knowledge to be able to

function well in a certain occupational domain?

When you are facing a task that you think is not interesting and certainly not enjoyable ask

yourself these questions?

• “What exactly is unenjoyable about this task?” (“Nothing really, but I’d rather be doing something else!”)

• “When I have completed the ‘something else’ will I feel any better than if I had worked on the study task?”

• “Why exactly is this task not interesting? Is there something I could learn that I didn’t know before? How could I be creative about this task?”

If you tell yourself,“this is so boring and I’m going to hate doing this”

Motivation will Decrease

Whereas, if you say to yourself,“I’m sure I can enjoy learning something new and

interesting from this task”Motivation will Increase

Attitude can make all the difference…..

“The more immediate the reward the greater the motivation”

• Reward yourself!

• As already noted in a previous slide, achievement is rewarding so set small achievable goals that go toward achieving the larger goals

• Set up immediate rewards for smaller completed tasks, especially ones that you are struggling with. For example: “When I’m finished writing this reference list I’m going to treat myself to (a nice coffee, hot chocolate, phone a friend, play one game of cards on computer etc…)

• And immediate rewards for bigger completed task… “When I have finished and handed in this piece of assessment I am going to (go to the beach, go out to a movie with a friend, go away for a weekend, take the kids out for the day, etc)”

• Take complete time outs and do not even think about study….and don’t feel guilty about it. If possible make these substantial time outs on a regular basis. These are times you can totally devote to other things: spending time with a spouse/partner, time with family (especially if you have young children), a special project at home, a weekend away etc.

“The need that is the greatest at any given time will be the one we are most highly motivated to meet.”

SO…..Take care of your basic needs

• If you are tired, hungry, unwell or lonely it is very difficult to be motivated to study.

• Eat good healthy food…Regularly…Don’t skip meals

• Get sufficient sleep…Pick & Restrict your time to party…otherwise get a good 7-8 hours sleep a night

• Engage in regular (i.e. 4-5 times a week) aerobic exercise…It’s amazing what this does for the brain, the attitude, the mood and motivation. Anything it does for your body shape is just an added bonus!

• Engage in meaningful social contact…Keep in touch with family, friends & uni colleagues. Join either a sports team/book club/church group/dancing club etc.

• Aim to be Healthy and Happy.

Motivation will increase

In Summary….

Influences that Increase ↑ Motivation Influences that Decrease ↓ Motivation

Setting and achieving small goals Only looking at the final goal which is far in the future

Expect to succeed Expect to fail

Engage in positive self talk and find value in the tasks required to complete your course of study

Engage in negative self talk about how useless an assignment or course is

Adopt the attitude that the tasks required can be interesting and enjoyable

Adopt the attitude that the study tasks are boring and can not be enjoyed.

Taking complete and regular mental and physical “time outs” from study.

Carrying the thought every waking moment that “I should be studying” and feeling guilty if you aren’t

studying every waking moment.

Immediately reward yourself for little tasks and/or portion of a task completed.

No reward except for passing the course and taking no “time outs”

Healthy Eating Unhealthy Eating

Plenty of Sleep Inadequate Sleep

Plenty of physical exercise--Fit No physical exercise---unfit

Effective social network No social network

Just Remember…

Whoever I am

and whatever I am doing

Some form of excellence is within my reach!

All the best with your studies

References

• Legault, L., Green-Demers, I., & Pelletier, L. (2006). Why do High School Students lack Motivation in the Classroom? Toward an understanding of academic amotivation and the role of social support. Journal of Educational Psychology, 98, 567-582.

• Steel, P. & König, C.J. (2006). Integrating Theories of Motivation. Academy of Management Review, 31, 889-913.

• Seligman, M.E.P. (2002). Authentic Happiness. Sydney: Random House.

• Kember, D. (2000). Misconceptions about the learning approaches, motivation and study practices of Asian students. Higher Education, 40, 99-121.

• VandenBos, G.R.(Ed.). (2006). American Psychological Association Dictionary of Psychology. (1st ed.) Washington: APA Publishing.