SEEU Review vol. 5 Nr. 2 (pdf) - South East European University

SEEU Review Volume 5, No. 2, 2009
According to Eggleton (1992), motivating students is not a simple
process, and it depends on the teacher’s individuality and methods of
teaching. He states that the personality of a given teacher is the most difficult
element of motivation to change. “The classroom environment can be one of
the most demanding environments on individuals’ perceptions of their selfworth”
(para. 3).
Another author that views the role of teachers in a different way is Dewey
(cited in Simpson, Jackson, & Aycock, 2005), who states that no matter how
motivating the teachers are, they cannot learn for the students, but they can
guide them and encourage them to study by engaging them in certain tasks.
Since learning is something that the pupil has to do himself and for
himself, the initiative lies with the learner. The teacher is a guide
and director; he steers the boat but the energy that propels it must
come from those who are learning (p.49).
In summary, many scholars cited in this section agree that there are
different types of motivation and that the teacher influences students’
motivation. Whereas some authors identify the teacher as the most important
influence, others state that the teacher is only the guide, and the rest of the
responsibility lies with the learner.
What do Scholars of Literacy Cite as Important Factors of
Motivation in Education?
According to Ambard and Ambard (2004), motivating students to use all
four language skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing) is a key factor
in a foreign language classroom. The role of motivation is seen as important
in engaging students to read and use language skills as well, and according
to Guthrie (2001), classroom circumstances are important in order to make
students read. He presents the engagement model of reading development in
which he includes motivation as one part of the model, together with strategy
use, conceptual knowledge and social interactions. He sees motivation as the
main contributor in children’s commitment to reading. Moreover, he states
that motivation is many-sided and different; individuals possess different
types of motivation within themselves. As a result, some of those types of
motivation are more dominant than others.
Gambrell (1996) states that motivation plays an important role in
learning, and is very influential in helping to increase students’ willingness
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