MOTIVATION
According to the Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, motivation means enthusiasm for doing something or the need and reason for doing something. Rabideau (2005) defined motivation as the driving force behind our actions and affects our needs, desires and life ambition.
Entwistle (1968) defined academic motivation as academic drive; attitudes toward school and learning and enthusiasm for academic achievement. Measuring items such as work habits and scholastic expectations can be categorized under academic drive. While attitudes toward school and learning including students’ perception toward the classroom environment and self-efficacy in learning. Whereas Hwang (2002) involves the degree to which students possessed certain specific behavioral characteristics related to motivation under the enthusiasm for academic achievement.
There are studies conducted to understand factors that motivate students. This eventually leads to the development of several theories of motivation. For instance, the Goal Theory. Under this theory, students can be divided into two main types that are performance goal orientation and task goal orientation. For students with performance goal orientation, they are concerned about getting good grades or performing well compared to other students. However, for those with a task goal orientation, they can be motivated by an urge to increase their knowledge on a subject or by enjoyment from learning the material (Anderman & Midgley, 1997).
From the study of Adedeji Tella (2007) that was carried out among secondary school students in Nigeria, he found out that there is significant difference when the variable of interest is the extent of motivation on academic achievement in mathematics based on the degree of their motivation. This study is in agreement with Mahyuddin, Elias and Noordin (2009) which also found a significant but low positive correlation between students’ achievement motivation and their academic performance.
REFERENCE
1. Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. 2005. Ed. ke-2. Singapore: Green Giant Press.
2. Rabideau, S.T. 2005. Effects of achievement motivation on behavior. http://www.personalityresearch.org/papers/rabideau.html [18 Januari 2011].
3. Entwistle, N. J. 1968. Academic motivation and school attainment. British Journal of
Educational Psychology 38(2): 181-188.
4. Hwang, Y. S., Echols, C. & Vrongistinos, K. 2002. Multidimensional academic motivation of high achieving African American students. College Student Journal 36(4): 544-554.
5. Anderman, L. H. & Midgley, C. 1997. Motivation and middle school students. Dlm. J. L. Irvin (Ed.). What current research says to the middle level practitioner, hlm. 41-48. Columbus, OH: National Middle School Association.
6. Adedeji Tella. 2007. The Impact of Motivation on Student’s Academic Achievement and Learning Outcomes in Mathematics among Secondary School Students in Nigeria. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science & Technology Education 3(2): 149-156.
7. Mahyuddin, R., Elias, H. & Noordin, N. 2009. Emotional intelligence, achievement motivation and academic achievement among students of the public and private higher institutions. The International Journal of Diversity in Organistions, Communities and Nations 9(4): 135-144.