Motivation In the EFL Classroom

Universidad Católica de El Salvador

José O. Torres, M.A.

Motivation in the ESL/EFL Classroom

Generalities

How would you define motivation? Let me offer the following "dictionary definition" drawn

from a number of different sources: Motivation is the extent to which you make choices about (a)

goals to pursue and (b) the effort you will devote to that pursuit. You can interpret this definition

in varying ways, depending on the theory of human behavior you adopt. For the sake of

simplicity, let us look at theories of motivation in terms of two opposing camps. One of these

perhaps punishments) in motivating behavior. In Skinner's operant conditioning model, for

example, human beings, like other living organisms, will pursue a goal because they perceive a

reward for doing so. This reward serves to reinforce behavior: to cause it to persist. This tradition

gave us what we might refer to as the "M theory" of behavior, derived from the now seldom

practiced administration of M&M candies to children for manifesting desired behavior.

A behaviorist would define motivation as "the anticipation of reinforcement." There is no

question that a tremendous proportion of what we do is motivated by an anticipated reward.

From eating to exercising to studying and even to altruistic acts of ministering to others, there is

"something in it for me." The emotional overtones of the more intangible rewards must not be

ignored. Reinforcement theory is a powerful concept for the classroom. Learners, like the

sources of motivation and in the power of self-reward. Three different theories illustrate this side

of motivation.

A. Drive theory. Those who see human drives as fundamental to human behavior claim that

motivation stems from basic innate drives. David Ausubel (1968) elaborated on six different

drives: