motivation

Motivation | Abul-Hassan | May 14th, 2005

Hi, All!

It's been a long time since I've written to the list. Nearly 8 months since I started and I'm still mulling over my MET proposal on the FND (I've written two). 4 months to go and 2000 pounds spent and I fear the worst!

Finally, I've sank my pride, broken all inhibitions, taken a risk and....   and decided to ask a question which could/will help me in the MET:

Is there a difference between instrumental/integrative motivation and intrinsic/extrinsic motivation or are they synonymous terms from different schools of thought?

I think my intrinsic motivation has been sorely lacking and need a much-needed injection of it from the Aston Clinic!

On a side note, if anyone's got any responses (positive or negative) back from Aston and doesn't mind sharing there proposals so I can get a better idea of what is needed, please feel free.

Best wishes,

Abul-hassan

Re: Motivation | Jerry Talandis Jr. | May 15th, 2005

Hello Abul-hassan,

Thanks for your message. It must have taken quite a bit of energy to send it off! Your courage is admirable! I'm "hearing" three things: you're feeling de-motivated, need specific help with terminology, and would like some examples of the MET portfolio task in order to get a clearer idea of what's expected. Ok, I'll try to tackle each part in succession. 

First of all, I can certainly relate to your feelings de-motivation. I think it's not uncommon for CPs to feel this way at times. The deeper the rut gets, the harder it is to climb out, and the possibility of dropping out increases. Learning to motivate yourself on a distance-learning program such as ours is a key skill you need to develop. One way to do this is to learn from the experiences of others. In fact, this very topic has been discussed before on this list, such as back in 2001 when Francesca asked everyone this question: ("Study Skills", at the DL Archive- http://www.cty8.com/talandis/categories/fnd/study_skills.htm )

What do you do when you're de-motivated? How do you motivate yourselves? Have CPs who've been doing the course noticed that their motivation is cyclical? What influences this?

CPs responded in various ways. For example, James wrote:

I find the email list is a great source of motivation. I also exchange email at least once a week with one fellow CP. I think we manage to help each other through our slumps, and keeping up the weekly exchanges puts the pressure on to have some progress to report each week. I strongly recommend finding such a "study partner" if you can.

Andy's take on motivation was that...

It comes from the pleasure of completing a module. The feeling of when the assignment is finished and the printer is finishing off those last pages..........

It comes from career pretensions......

It comes from those big files staring me in the face every morning and SCREAMING READ ME!!!!!!!!

It comes from the e-mail discussion group

It comes from colleagues and friends who say...."How are you doing on the course?"

It comes from a time schedule that is on the wall in my classroom.......

and finally from my students who have a constant voice in my assignments........... 

Pinkie mentioned the following:

I find the workshops with tutors extremely motivating. Also this e-mail list (though I've been contributing to it less recently) and e-mail correspondence with other CPs and with tutors. As for scheduling: like James, I have periods when I can dedicate only small amounts of time to the MSc, and other periods when I can dedicate 3 or 4 hours a day. For me, the key is to plan what I'm going to do during these periods with lots of time.

I could go on quoting, but I think you get the point. Notice the common element among all these bits of advice is human interaction.  In a "real" bricks & mortar school situation, this interaction is built-in. On a distance-learning program, you have to take deliberate steps to create your own network. It's not a coincidence that this list was mentioned as a source of motivation in everyone's comments. It's a public space, and posting to it requires more time and effort than regular one-to-one communication. But, the benefits of doing so often bring unexpected rewards. I can't tell you how much I've learned over the past few years from interacting regularly with everyone. It's not enough to just learn new stuff by yourself in isolation. To paraphrase former tutor Julian Edge, the learning you take from this program is equal to what you can articulate to others. Finding someone to share your experiences with is crucial.

So, Abul-hassan, how would you respond to Francesca's question above? Perhaps it's time to revisit this question for a new generation of CPs. 

Now, on to your terminology question:

Is there a difference between instrumental/integrative motivation and intrinsic/extrinsic motivation or are they synonymous terms from different schools of thought?

The terms "instrumental/integrative motivation" are new to me, so I looked them up at Answers.com ( http://www.answers.com ). This led me to the "ESL Glossary" section of "Boggle's World," a really neat looking ESL resources site ( http://bogglesworld.com /). 

Integrative motivation:

When students want to learn a language to become part of a speech community (integrate). People who immigrate to new countries are some examples of people who may want to identify with the community around them. An important aspect of this form of language learning is using language for social interaction. This form of motivation is thought to produce success in language learners. This is often compared to instrumental motivation.

Instrumental motivation :

Wanting to learn a language for the purpose of obtaining some concrete goals such as a job, graduation, or the ability to read academic materials. This form of motivation is thought to be less likely to lead to success than integrative motivation. For an interesting article discussing this visit the Internet TESL Journal. http://iteslj.org/Articles/Norris-Motivation.html

Now, compare these definitions with "intrinsic/extrinsic": (taken again from Answers.com)

Intrinsic motivation causes people to engage in an activity for its own sake. Hobbies are typical examples.

Traditionally, extrinsic motivation has been used to motivate employees: Payments, rewards, control, or punishments. Within economies transitioning from assembly lines to service industries, the importance of intrinsic motivation rises.

Seems to me that the definitions are very similar, but there are differences. Instrumental/Integrative seem more geared for the ELT situation, whereas Intrinsic/Extrinsic are more general in nature. What do you think? I'm sure more reading on this subject would clarify an answer. The article referred to above looks promising. Here's the abstract:

Motivation as a Contributing Factor in Second Language Acquisition
By  Jacqueline Norris-Holt 
The Internet TESL Journal, Vol. VII, No. 6, June 2001

This paper explores Gardner's socio-educational model and the significance of motivation as a contributing factor in second language (L2) acquisition. Motivation is defined as the learner's orientation with regard to the goal of learning a second language. Motivation is divided into two basic types: integrative and instrumental. Integrative motivation is characterised by the learner's positive attitudes towards the target language group and the desire to integrate into the target language community. Instrumental motivation underlies the goal to gain some social or economic reward through L2 achievement, thus referring to a more functional reason for language learning. Both forms of motivation are examined in light of research which has been undertaken to establish the correlation between the form of motivation and successful second language acquisition. Motivation in the Japanese EFL context is then discussed and studies which have been conducted in the field investigated.

Now, on to your final request:

On a side note, if anyone's got any responses (positive or negative) back from Aston and doesn't mind sharing there proposals so I can get a better idea of what is needed, please feel free.

Well, I also found the MET portfolio task the most challenging one. I asked for advice to this list back in 2001 and got a response you can read about here.

I think the biggest thing is not to overdo it. At this stage all the tutors want to see is if you have a basic grasp on how to write up an assignment. Do you understand the idea of action research and the SPRE model? Then show you do in the way you write up your proposal. Describe your situation, a problem or puzzle within it, a potential response, and what you expect to find. That ought to do it. If you can whip something together, send it in to your tutor for feedback. Take advantage of the "one free consultation" policy. Don't get hung up on this task! Just get it done and move on. You need to keep your momentum up.

I hope all of this helps. Thanks again for posting. 4 months is plenty of time once you get motivated! Ha.

Jerry
Japan

Re: Motivation | David Mackie | May 15th, 2005

Hi -

Well, I have to say I'm in much the same state as you- you're not alone.

As for motivation (wish I had some more- anyone got some to spare?), Miller et al in "Goals and Perceived Ability", Contemporary Educational Psychology 8, 2-14, 1993, divide it simply into:

Individual-   "a relatively enduring preference for certain topics"

Situational- "an emotional state brought about by situational stimuli".

How's that?

McDave

PS: Many thanks to Jerry T.

Re: Motivation | Mike McDonald | May 15th, 2005

Is there a difference between instrumental/integrative motivation and intrinsic/extrinsic motivation or are they synonymous terms from different schools of thought?

I think there is a close relationship but not an exact overlap. Roughly speaking, "instrumental motivation" means you want to do something, while "integrative motivation" means you want to be something. Both of them are based on "want" or "need". On the other hand, "extrinsic motivation" comes from outside a person, while "intrinsic" comes from within. Intrinsic motivation is definitely based on "want" or "need", but extrinsic could also be based on compulsion; for example, the threat of a beating could be a kind of extrinsic motivation, but would be more difficult to classify as instrumental motivation, I feel.

However, Do(e)rnyei does not seem to distinguish between instrumental and extrinsic motivation. According to his "Teaching and Researching Motivation" (p. 65),

"I have carried out a synthesis of thirteen different constructs by tabulating the main motivational domains underlying them. I found that almost all the motivational constituents of the selected models/frameworks could be classified into seven broad dimensions:

1. Affective/integrative dimension, referring to a general affective 'core' of the L2 motivation complex, including variables such as integrative motivation, affective motive, language attitudes, intrinsic motivation, attitudes towards L2 learning, enjoyment and interest.

2. Instrumental/pragmatic dimension, referring to extrinsic, largely utilitarian factors."

By the way, I know very well about the problem of motivation, as I suspect most Aston CPs do. In some ways, I think an extrinsic motivation such as the need to get a job is a much more potent fuel than an intrinsic one such as a desire to improve one's teaching. We have to constantly remind ourselves of why we are doing the course. Teaching in an EFL environment, I find my university students have the same problem: many of them cannot see any compelling extrinsic motive for learning English. I always tell them on the first day that unless they find a reason, they are going to have difficulty making any progress. As examples of suitable motives, I mention that many Japanese employers require a high level of English for prospective employees, and that an academic career in computer science (my students' major) requires an ability to write and give presentations in English.

Good luck!

Mike McDonald

Re: Motivation | Dawn Grant-Skiba | May 15th, 2005

Hi Abdul    

Jerry has said most of the things I would like to say so I won't repeat them!

However, I would like to add to David's advice about extrinsic motivation as a source of carrying yourself forward. It has worked for me. I started out with intrinsic motivation - the sheer need to develop myself for myself and was highly motivated.   When I started to burn out, I went to my previous university homepage and looked at the current listing of staff.   Would you imagine that many students who were not as 'bright' as I was (I'm saying that in all humility here) had already gotten their MBAs, MScs or whatever?   Was I jealous/envious? Well, that gave me the added boost I needed and Saturday nights have become my study time - as never before!!! I'm now resolute that I will finish for graduation next

March, come hell or high water (an idiom from my neck of the woods).    It's hard with bringing up two children (one too active) and holding down a full-time job but I'm going to make it!

I hope my example will trigger something and put weight on the pedals so you'll be able to move forward.

All the best!!

Dawn

p.s. I'm searching for my MET assignment from the FND and will send it off to you when I find it.

Re: Motivation | Jerry Talandis Jr. | May 15th, 2005

Thanks Dave, Mike, and Dawn for your responses. There's a lot you said that I agree with! 

Roughly speaking, "instrumental motivation" means you want to do something, while "integrative motivation" means you want to be something.

Wow! That's so clear, Mike. I totally get it. You also mentioned "We have to constantly remind ourselves of why we are doing the course." Yes, that is TOTALLY correct. Staying connected with the "big why" gives you power and energy. People often get lost in the "how" question, but the answer comes from deeply knowing "why." I often do this exercise to clarify my motivation- I call it "following the trail of whys": ask yourself why you are doing something you think is important, come up with an answer, then ask yourself why again. Keeping asking yourself "why" until you can't answer anymore. It goes something like this:

Q:     Why am I trying to get a masters degree?
A:    Because I want a better job. 
Q:    Why?
A:    Because I want more money & prestige.
Q:    Why?
A:    Because I want to support my family better.
Q:    Why?
A:     Because I love them very much!
Q:     Why?

Etc etc.

You get the idea. For me, this little exercise connects me to my intrinsic motivation and helps get me out of a rut. 

Jerry
Japan

Re: Motivation | Abul-Hassan | May 15th, 2005

A BIG, BIG THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO WROTE IN.

A little courage goes a long way; expect another posting soon.

Abul-Hassan
Riyadh, KSA

Re: Motivation | Yvonne Beaudry | May 16th, 2005

Everyone has covered the main points of motivation so I won't repeat it all, but here's a tip I use to keep from procrastinating the reading:

I print out journal articles I have to read and put them and a highlighter in files by the door. When I'm going somewhere where I'll have to wait in a long line, or on a long subway ride, I grab an article on the way out the door. That way even when I'm busy at work I never go for long stretches without doing something. As someone already pointed out, the deeper into the rut you get, the harder it is, so this helps me.

Yvonne

 

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