Motivational ability: what factors are involved in it?

It can be observed with increasing frequency how the current fast pace of life is causing interference both in the personal development as in the academic follow-up that some schoolchildren (and also applicable to some adults) are able to carry out today in day.

This operation that has been acquired in the last two decades based on immediacy seems to be influencing two very relevant aspects that condition the emotional maturation process of the most little ones: the ability to tolerate frustration and the level of motivation to achieve goals proposals.

Both phenomena present a mutual influence, that is, the low ability to accept that sometimes certain events take place in a different way than the previous expectations, causes negative effects on the ability to be excited and interested in trying to achieve that goal again or proposing a new one, and vice versa. In this article we will focus on seeing what they are the factors involved in motivational ability.

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The misuse of new technologies and its effect on motivation

As we have seen, a high level of demotivation implies a perception of low ability to achieve a goal or overcome a difficulty, which increases the level of frustration felt by the person.

On the other hand, it should be noted that both aspects intrinsically involve the personal competence of strive to achieve something and maintain that effort longer-term.

Therefore, an accelerated operation, where by system one must attend to so many simultaneous stimuli (doing homework while taking the snack and check the mobile to ask what exercises should be done for math class, while listening to the TV in the background, example) is not making it easier for the ability to dedicate a longer and exclusive time to a specific goal or task to be performed in a effective.

Studies corroborate that mismatches in both skills can lead to a low level of self-esteem, appearance of an insecure personal style or even lead to school failure.

Therefore, as educators, it seems necessary to clarify a series of keys and measures that could be efficient to reverse or at least limit the effect harmful that this era of digital and technological revolution is generating in the motivation and tolerance of frustration presented by the child-youth population in the present.

The motivation

The phenomenon of motivation can be defined as the set of factors that drive a person to act in a certain way and with a specific effort.

It is the main engine that allows acquiring new learning and is characterized by its clear internal nature, being the result of the combination of the aspects cognitive (thoughts) and affective (emotions and feelings), although it is the result of the interaction between the individual and the experiences he receives from the environment.

According to Maslow's approaches in his Theory of Necessity (1943), motivation is understood as a need that behaviorally prompts the individual to act. This author proposed a hierarchy of needs, starting from the basic or survival needs (physiological) up to those of personal growth (self-realization). Based on these postulates, the author affirmed that the lower needs must first be satisfied and progress towards the higher ones.

Some might advocate the conclusion that motivation for academic learning and knowledge in general, for example, would occupy an advanced place in the pyramid, since it could not be conceptualized as a physiological, security, social or health need. esteem. Perhaps this idea explains the reason why the motivational capacity for knowledge does not occupy a priority position in some young people, especially when such learning is perceived as abstract, with little functional logic or lacking practical application by students.

Variables involved in motivational ability

As mentioned above, motivation is mediated by different factors that can influence how it develops in each individual. First of all, it is necessary to differentiate between two key concepts:

Intrinsic motivation (MI) is defined by the set of goals that the person proposes due to a self-perception of positive competence and internal self-determination (for example, "I'm going to push myself in training because I'm passionate about basketball and I feel great watching my progress ").

Extrinsic motivation (ME) is more linked to the achievement of external rewards (for example, "if I approve the school year, my parents will reward me with the latest model of mobile phone ") or avoidance of punishments.

Deci was one of the first authors to make this differentiation, defending that the first type of motivation is that which has greater power or greater weight in the achievement of personal goals, since it is characterized by a deeper approach to the concept of motivation.

Thus, it has been possible to demonstrate the existence of a high correlation in people with MI with respect to they direct their focus of attention to the process rather than the result, who understand errors as natural phenomena and not as failures and who show preferences for challenging tasks rather than those that are more affordable and less effortful.

The motivational dimensions

On the other hand, as provided by Weimer's Attributional Theory (1971) and later reformulated by Seligman (1984) there are three motivational dimensions that will be decisive in how the person will configure the perception of their goals individual.

The locus of control It is the first, and it is understood by the type of cause to which the individual attributes an action or a certain situation. This can be internal ("I passed because I studied a lot") or external ("I passed because the exam was easy"). The influence that the realistic internal locus of control has on the degree of individual intrinsic motivation seems clear.

Second we have stability, defined as the ability to modify the cause of the event. This can be stable (or unchangeable, "it is impossible to pass math") or unstable (or modifiable, "even though it is difficult for me, I know it is possible to pass math"). In this second aspect, a fact perceived as modifiable seems to correlate more with the level of MI.

Finally, the degree of control of the fact, which can be classified as uncontrollable ("no matter how much I study, I will not pass the exam") or controllable ("if I study more, I will be able to pass the exam"). If the person has a high degree of control of the event, it is more likely that the level of internal motivation is also increased.

From this is extracted the relevance of transmitting values ​​and educational styles that are oriented to promote greater motivation intrinsic, as well as the habit of making an attribution of one's own behavior, both successful and wrong, that tends to a balanced control between the internal and external dimensions, a certain unstable character of the events and a degree of realistic control over such conduct.

By cons, when the person tends to make an extreme assessment of their failures, attributing them to totally internal, stable and permanent causes, the appearance of a state of learned helplessness. This phenomenon is defined as a perception of low competition, demotivation and hopelessness that distances the individual from the reach of the proposed goals, since it internalizes that situations and results are given independently to its behaviour.

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Practical guidelines to promote motivational skills

From what has been exposed so far, a series of practices that can be useful to educators, both in the academic context and also in the family, in order to promote the acquisition of a set of personal resources that favor the internalization of a satisfactory individual motivational capacity within the child and adolescent group.

A democratic, dialogue and empathic educational style

It allows understand the difficulties and peculiarities of the minor, where it is capable of assessing the effort invested in each established objective, no matter how small it may be.

On the contrary, authoritarian profiles, demanding and focused only on the result, will generate a state of pressure, insecurity and low level of self-esteem and in the perception of self-competence.

The established goals must be short-term, manageable and realistic

For this, it is carefully consider the point from which the subject starts, in order not to present excessively ambitious objectives that favor the appearance of frustrated previous expectations.

Active participation of the subject himself in assessing progress

It is a fundamental type of positive reinforcement that will provide the person with a continuous dose of reward and individual satisfaction. Thus, it is very beneficial to record the progress made on a regular basis (daily, weekly, monthly).

The content that represents the stated objective

As indicated above, should be perceived as useful, practical and even attractive to the individual.

It seems that the level of motivation decreases in the face of abstract or highly theoretical methodologies that do not sufficiently involve the receiver in their learning process. This element is key, since it also favors a higher rate of attention and concentration on the proposed task.

The establishment of limits in the use of technological devices

Its withdrawal during work sessions in order to avoid constant interruptions, is important, since it will significantly facilitate the level of attention to the task in question.

The close link between attentional ability, personal performance and the motivational aspect has already been indicated previously. Therefore, the higher the concentration level, the higher the perception of positive performance and, ultimately, the higher MI rates.

In conclusion

As has been observed in the text, the lifestyle maintained today is having an important impact on the perception that an individual develops about her ability to achieve personal goals (academic or professional), especially in the case of children and adolescents, who are in the midst of maturation and individual growth.

It seems essential, from the perspective of educational agents, to guide young people to combat the many inertias that this digital age and The immediate technological development is causing the development of certain psychological competencies, such as motivation and tolerance to frustration. Such social inertias make it difficult to focus on non-quantitative, non-competitive aspects or goals that represent a longer-term effort.

Thus, focus more on being aware and assessing in a more active and careful way the involvement made during the process instead of the result, promoting a more sequential lifestyle and not simultaneous and accelerated, cooperate and have a more collective and generous vision instead of focusing exclusively on individualistic interests, and accepting that obtaining a result other than The expectations generated do not imply a failure but a learning opportunity, it can ultimately promote the level of personal motivation when considering one's own goals.

Bibliographic references:

• Alonso Tapia, J. (1991): Motivation and learning in the classroom. How to teach to think. Santillana. Madrid.
• Marchesi, A., Coll, J. and Palacios, J. (2002): Psychological Development and Education. Editorial Alliance, Madrid.