Theories of reinforcement concentrate
on factors external to the learner and the
assumption that changing the extrinsic
rewards will change behavior. Content
theories focus on human needs and on
identifying why people behave in certain
ways. The premise of content theories
is that people will respond in desirable
ways when their needs are met. The
assumption is that if a teacher can effectively
meet the needs of his or her students,
they will learn. Several theorists,
most notably Abraham Maslow, Clayton
Alderfer, David McClelland, Frederick
Herzberg, and John Atkinson, developed
ways of identifying and prioritizing
human needs.
To motivate a student, Maslow would
recommend that the teacher understand
the student’s level on the hierarchy or the
pyramid of human needs.12 If a student is
not working in class, and his or her homework
is incomplete, the insinuation is that
one of his or her needs is not being met.
Once the teacher identifies the need and
takes steps to fulfil it, the student will be
motivated to achieve the next level, leading
ultimately to self-actualization, which
is a “drive to become what one is capable
of becoming . . . [and] achieving one’s
potential, and self-fulfillment.”13 Rather
than encouraging managers or teachers
to be proactive, Maslow’s theories invite
teachers to be reactive to needs that are
not being met. This negative approach
of looking for physiological or psychological
deficiencies, with a focus on being
Downloaded from mej.sagepub.com at SRINAKHARINWIROT UNIVERSITY on February 28, 2014
www.menc.org 63
reactive to problems rather than looking
for the positive attributes of students, has
met with much criticism.
McClelland and Herzberg both
devised methods of matching personality
types and individual needs to work
preferences. Again, these theories focus
on adjusting a work environment in
reaction to a perceived personality type,
linking job satisfaction to working conditions.
14 Being satisfied with one’s working
environment, however, is not the same
as being motivated.15 Most public school
teachers work with students who are in
early stages of development, in terms of
personality traits. Therefore, one of the
problems of applying content theories
to teaching is that students’ personalities
have not stabilized, and their development
is incomplete during their middle
school or even high school years. Basing
motivation techniques on personality
types is not the most effective method of
finding a stimulus, or of creating that invitation
to the dance. Those who work in
middle school might contend that there
are days when physical needs, driven
by hormonal changes in teenagers, are
primary needs for their age and maturity.
The need for belonging to a social
group is another example of an aspect of
maturation that is unbalanced until a later
age. Content theories seem to apply more
directly to adults in the workforce than to
young students, as the needs of adolescents
are constantly evolving. Teachers
who are effective with this age-group can
assess these shifting priorities and adapt
the dance from a polka one day to a waltz
on another.
Theories of reinforcement concentrate
on factors external to the learner and the
assumption that changing the extrinsic
rewards will change behavior. Content
theories focus on human needs and on
identifying why people behave in certain
ways. The premise of content theories
is that people will respond in desirable
ways when their needs are met. The
assumption is that if a teacher can effectively
meet the needs of his or her students,
they will learn. Several theorists,
most notably Abraham Maslow, Clayton
Alderfer, David McClelland, Frederick
Herzberg, and John Atkinson, developed
ways of identifying and prioritizing
human needs.
To motivate a student, Maslow would
recommend that the teacher understand
the student’s level on the hierarchy or the
pyramid of human needs.12 If a student is
not working in class, and his or her homework
is incomplete, the insinuation is that
one of his or her needs is not being met.
Once the teacher identifies the need and
takes steps to fulfil it, the student will be
motivated to achieve the next level, leading
ultimately to self-actualization, which
is a “drive to become what one is capable
of becoming . . . [and] achieving one’s
potential, and self-fulfillment.”13 Rather
than encouraging managers or teachers
to be proactive, Maslow’s theories invite
teachers to be reactive to needs that are
not being met. This negative approach
of looking for physiological or psychological
deficiencies, with a focus on being
Downloaded from mej.sagepub.com at SRINAKHARINWIROT UNIVERSITY on February 28, 2014
www.menc.org 63
reactive to problems rather than looking
for the positive attributes of students, has
met with much criticism.
McClelland and Herzberg both
devised methods of matching personality
types and individual needs to work
preferences. Again, these theories focus
on adjusting a work environment in
reaction to a perceived personality type,
linking job satisfaction to working conditions.
14 Being satisfied with one’s working
environment, however, is not the same
as being motivated.15 Most public school
teachers work with students who are in
early stages of development, in terms of
personality traits. Therefore, one of the
problems of applying content theories
to teaching is that students’ personalities
have not stabilized, and their development
is incomplete during their middle
school or even high school years. Basing
motivation techniques on personality
types is not the most effective method of
finding a stimulus, or of creating that invitation
to the dance. Those who work in
middle school might contend that there
are days when physical needs, driven
by hormonal changes in teenagers, are
primary needs for their age and maturity.
The need for belonging to a social
group is another example of an aspect of
maturation that is unbalanced until a later
age. Content theories seem to apply more
directly to adults in the workforce than to
young students, as the needs of adolescents
are constantly evolving. Teachers
who are effective with this age-group can
assess these shifting priorities and adapt
the dance from a polka one day to a waltz
on another.
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