Motivation in a Classroom Setting: Cognitive Dissonance, Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs and Self-Determination Theories

This essay explores the role of motivation in a classroom setting through cognitive dissonance, Maslow's hierarchy of needs and self-determination theories. It explains how motivation affects learning behavior and outcomes and provides relevant examples in a secondary level school setting.

Running head: MOTIVATION
Motivation
Name:
Institution

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Introduction
Motivation is either an internal or external drive that helps individuals in
achieving their goals. In a classroom setting, instructions should be designed with the
help of motivation for the success of a student. Motivation can affect a student’s learning
behavior in several ways. They include directing behavior towards specific goals which
in the long run affects the choices students make. It also enhances the cognitive aspect of
a learner. Since motivation affects how and what kind of information is processed, highly
motivated learners will try to understand the concept instead of just going through the
learning process. Motivation also determines the outcomes that arise from reinforcement
and punishment. Example, students that are motivated for classroom achievement are
reinforced by scoring a higher grade and feel punished if they score a lower grade. The
sources of motivation can be intrinsic and extrinsic. There are various types of motivation
theories that explain how motivation has been used in a schools setting. In this essay,
cognitive dissonance, Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and self-dependent theories are used
to explain the roles of motivation with a relevant example in a secondary level school
setting.
Cognitive Dissonance
Cognitive dissonance theory explains the unresolved conflict in peoples’ mind
between two beliefs, perceptions or thoughts that they hold concerning a given subject.
Dissonance mostly occurs in situations where individuals have to choose between two
beliefs or actions which are incompatible (Adiele & Abraham, 2013). Example, a
person might buy an expensive car that is uncomfortable for long distance drives. The

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dissonance comes up where; the individual believes that they bought a good car and it
should be comfortable even for long trips. Dissonance could be done away with by
focusing on more positives that the car could offer such as safety, handling, appearance,
or getting rid of the car, although this behavior can be harder to achieve than changing
the beliefs (Wang, 2013). The tension level that comes as a result of this conflict will
depend on the relation the issue has to an individual or how difficult it is for the
individuals to justify their logical thinking.
Cognitive dissonance is a great motivator in education and when it is not used in
a good way, it creates discomfort in individuals and for it to be resolved, there must be
some outcomes (Uzonna, 2013). They include a change in an individual’s behavior by
replacing the existing behavior with a new modeled behavior. Also, changing the
conflicting thinking that is brought about by new information (Alias, Lashari, Akasah &
Kesot, 2014). This will enhance the individual’s performance in various activities and
the overall character. In a school setting, the cognitive dissonance may impact a student
in various ways. For instance, whenever teachers want to change a student’s attitude, they
should first identify the beliefs at the heart of that attitude.
In a situation where teachers have a clear picture of the beliefs that are causing the
attitude in a student, they should induce cognitive dissonance by producing powerful
arguments and information which will counter those beliefs (Chang, Solomon &
Westerfield, 2016). For example, when dealing with misbehaving students, rather than
straight-forwardly informing them of their misconduct, the teacher should talk to them
about their behaviors’ negative implications on other students and why their behaviors
are not morally acceptable.

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Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Theory
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs depicts that human beings have the most basic needs
in life which should be satisfied before achieving anything else. The theory has been
popularly used in business management. However, presently, it is being highly used to
motivate students in a classroom. The theory consists of five levels which are divided
into deficiency needs and growth needs (Chemolli & Gagné, 2014). Starting from the
bottom of the hierarchy, the levels include; physiological needs, safety needs, need for
belonging, self-esteem and lastly self-actualization.
Deficiency needs arise as a result of deprivation and they motivate individuals
when they are not met. Besides, the motivation to fulfill this needs grow when they are
denied. Example, when a person goes for long without food, the hungrier they will
become. Also, individuals must satisfy the needs in the lower levels before they satisfy
higher level growth needs. This hierarchy has implication in the education setting since
students are unable to concentrate and learn if their basic needs are not met (Curby,
Rimm-Kaufman & Abry, 2013). Teachers should be able to identify the needs that are
not met. Understanding and implementing the hierarchy of needs is important for both the
teacher and the learners.
The physiological needs which lie at the bottom of the pyramid are the most
important needs and have both negative and positive impacts on a learner. These needs
are basic and are closely related to a person’s survival and they include water, food,
shelter, and clothing. Example, if learners go to school on an empty stomach, they will
not be able to concentrate and this will affect their performance (Moorer, 2014).

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Teachers should ensure that their learners’ needs are met by providing adequate lighting,
ventilation and meal programs. The second level entails the safety needs, in achieving
students’ success, safety plays a big role. In a classroom setting, safety should not only be
physical but also psychological and emotional. An example is an environment where a
learner is free to share ideas, ask and answer questions without being intimidated by the
teacher or students. In the third level, the learners need to feel love and a sense of
belonging. In a group of students, every student should be able to feel that they are part of
that group.
When the above needs are satisfied, the learner may move to the next level of
needs which is self-actualization, whereby the student is ready to receive new ideas in
order to acquire self-esteem through achievement and recognition. This makes the student
feel confident and able to take any responsibility in the learning process (Roediger,
2013). At the last level which is self-actualization, the student looks for ways that can
help them fulfill their learning potential and seek fulfillment. They will work hard to
achieve higher learning goals such as getting grade ‘A’ in their assignments.
Self-determination Theory
It is a theory that talks about the choices made by different people. It consists of
two major types of motivation that are extrinsic and intrinsic. Intrinsic motivation is a
type of motivation that happens internally and an individual is motivated from within
(Taylor, et al., 2014). Example, when a person is reading a novel by their favorite
author, a person will not need to be motivated to finish it instead they will just finish it

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because it is enjoyable. People experience intrinsic motivation when what they are doing
is interesting, absorbing, and fulfilling.
Intrinsic motivation consists of three types; knowledge whereby learners have the
urge to learn new things, accomplishment whereby learners feel motivated by their
accomplishments, and stimulation which can be done by giving learners assignments and
developing self-evaluations which aids in increasing learner engagement. On the other
hand, extrinsic motivation is behavior that is triggered by external rewards like fame,
grades, money, and praise (Skaalvik & Skaalvik, 2014). It arises from outside unlike
intrinsic which originates from inside an individual. Extrinsic rewards consist of several
types such as completion contingent rewards which are given after completion of a task,
unexpected rewards that are given unexpectedly, and performance-contingent rewards
that are awarded depending on the performance. Teachers should create a reinforcement
program in a teaching-learning environment; a teacher should ensure that there is a
balanced reward system.
Self-determination may impact the learning of students in several ways. For
instance, many students are involved in setting their own goals to achieve more (Van den
Berghe, Vansteenkiste, Cardon, Kirk & Haerens, 2014). When students build in mind
that the sole focus of learning is to get external rewards, they often perform poorly, have
a low self-esteem since they perceive themselves as competent and are always anxious
during tests. More so, in a classroom setting, teachers should nurture intrinsic motivation
in their students (Sogunro, 2014). For example, teachers should create a student-centered
learning environment where students learn on their own, making them to be intrinsically
motivated. Also, the teachers should set high but realistic goals for the learners. The

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standards should be high to challenge the learners and motivate them to work hard
towards achieving the goals.
In addition, when motivating a student extrinsically, teachers should know what
the students like and award them. Such rewards may include laptops or trips. This will
motivate the students to work and reach the targets set in order to be rewarded (Taormina
& Gao, 2013). Teachers should not only use tangible rewards. Instead, when a student
gets an answer right they should comment with motivating words like “excellent” and
“good trial” and this raises the learners’ self-esteem.
Conclusion
Having looked at cognitive dissonance, Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and self-
determination theories, each theory plays an important role in motivating learners in a
school setting. In Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, physiological needs are the basic needs
which should be satisfied first before proceeding to other needs. Safety needs help
individuals to feel safe in doing things, social needs encourage people to interact and
communicate freely with others, and the self-actualization makes individuals be satisfied
for what they have achieved. In cognitive dissonance theory, individuals should aim for
consistency between their attitudes and the way they behave. For people to achieve what
they desire in a good way, they should first assonance their actions. The last theory is the
self-determination theory which consists of two main types of motivation. They comprise
of intrinsic motivation where an individual’s motivation comes from within and extrinsic
motivation is affected by external factors. The theory further explains that the two types
of reinforcement should be balanced for better results to be achieved.

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