Definition
of Motivation
Barker
(2005) In a general sense, motivation can be defined as the dynamically
changing cumulative arousal in a person that initiates, directs, coordinates,
amplifies, terminates, and evaluates the cognitive and motor processes whereby
initial wishes and desires are selected, prioritized, operationalized and
(successfully or unsuccessfully) acted out.
Elliot
(2006) Motivation is the energization of behavior by, or the direction of
behavior toward, positive stimuli (objects, events, possibilities), whereas
avoidance motivation is the energization of behavior by, or the direction of behavior
away from, negative stimuli (objects, events, possibilities).
Lai
(2011) concludes motivation refers to reasons that underlie behavior, motivation
is animated by personal enjoyment, interest, or pleasure, whereas motivation is
governed by reinforcement contingencies. Motivation involves a constellation of
closely related beliefs, perceptions, values, interests, and actions.
Motivation within individuals tends to vary across subject areas, and this
domain specificity increases with age.
Graham
and Weiner (1996) Definition of motivation. Motivation is the study at why people think and behave as they
do. In the context of academic achievement, motivational concerns would he addressed If we were
to ask, for example, why some students
complete tasks despite enormous difficulty, while others give up at the slightest
provocation, or why some students
set such unrealistically high goals for
themselves that failure is
bound to occur. Another
way to capture the concept at motivation Is to think about a typical achievement behavior, such as studying for an examination, and to view it as a temporal sequence
that is started, sustained, directed,
and finally terminated.
