INFLUENCE OF MOTIVATION ON STUDY SKILLS

An Undergraduate Thesis
Presented to the Faculty of the
Department of Professional Education
College of Education
MSU – Iligan Institute of Technology
Iligan City

In Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of
Bachelor of Elementary Education
Major in English

By
Aianah A. Gutiera
Karizza Jennifer B. Jaro
Phoebe Grace A. Podiotan

October 2011

APPROVAL SHEET
The undergraduate thesis here to entitlted “Influence of Motivation on Study Skills”, prepared and submitted by Aianah A. Guitera, Karizza Jennifer B. Jaro and Phoebe Grace A. Podiotan. In partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Bachelor of Elementary Education Major in English is hereby recommended for acceptance and approval.

____________________ DR. RONALDO R. ORBITA Date Thesis Adviser Approved by the committee in Oral Examination with a grade of PASSED. DR. ADELFA C. SILOR DR. JOSEFINA M. TABUDLONG Panel Member Panel Member

____________________ ___________________ Date Date
Accepted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Bachelor of Elementary Education Major in English.

PROF. ESMAR N. SEDURIFA DR. ADELFA C. SILOR Dean, College of Education Chairperson, DPRE

___________________ ___________________ Date Date

_________________________ Date of Final Defense
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

It would not have been possible to write this thesis without the help and support of the kind people around us.
First and foremost, we heartily offer our gratitude to our thesus adviser Dr. Ronaldo R. Orbita for his excellence guidance, care, patience, and providing us with an excellent atmosphere for doing this research. His encouragement, guidance and support from the initial to the final level enabled us to develop an understanding of the subject. This thesis would not have been possible without him.
To our family, especially to our parents who painstakingly support us all the way through here, who supported us physically, financially and even spiritually, we thank you so much for your undying love. To our brothers and sisters who have given us their unequivocal support throughout, as always, for which our mere expression of thanks likewise does not suffice.
This thesis would not have been possible without the help, support and patience of our rear level adviser, Dr. Ruben L. Abucayon, the good advice, support and friendship from him has been invaluable on both academic and personal level, for which we are extremely grateful.
We would also like to acknowledge the academic support of our beloved school MSU = IIT particularly to our teachers who armoured us with knowledge and wisdom that help us come up and develop our manuscript throughout the way. The library facilities and computer facilities of the institute have been indispensable.
We also thank the Department of Professional Education fort their support and assistance since the start of our thesis proposal especially to our panel members, Dr. Adelfa C. Silor and Dr. Josefina M. Tabudlong. We are indeed grateful to our respondents, the Grade Four pupils of Iligan City North I Central School who willingly answered our questionnaire.
We also thank our friends in Iligan, Pagadian and Kauswagan for their support and encouragement through thick and thin.
Above all, we would like to express our deepst gratitude to our Father Almighty who in other way or around serves us our strength and power to pursue and finish this study with full of hope. Tahnks to God snd may His peace and blessings be upon all for his granting us the chance and the ability to successfully complete our study.

Aianah
Karizza Jennifer
Phoebe Grace

CHAPTER 1
THE PROBLEM

Introduction

Studying is one of the necessities of a learner in order to achieve the goals and expectations that he sets for himself. Every learner has his own desire to make better on his studies specifically on his academic performance and every learner has his own reasons why he makes use of his study skills constructive and effective. These reasons are his motivations that keep him to come to grip and be stimulated at all times with his studies. A learner must do well on his academic performance for him to meet his needs such as hope and aspiration. Nevertheless, motivation indeed adds up a greater help to build up the learner’s study skills.

Motivation is the reason to act and a feeling of enthusiasm, interest, or commitment, that makes somebody, wants to do something, or something that causes such a feeling. Moreover, it is also a reason for doing something or behaving in a particular way and it is also a force determining behavior such as biological, emotional, cognitive or social forces that activate and direct behavior. |
Motivation also refers to the driving force by which humans achieve their goals. Motivation is said to be intrinsic or extrinsic (Gardner and Lambert, 1972). Motivation is related to, but distinct from emotion. Brewer and Burgess identified motivation as a fundamental aspect of learning. According to Ryan and Deci (2000), “To be motivated means to be moved to do something.”

Motivation is of particular interest to educational psychologists because of the crucial role it plays in student learning. However, the specific kind of motivation that is studied in the specialized setting of education differs qualitatively from the more general forms of motivation studied by psychologists in other fields.

Motivation in education can have several effects on how students learn and how they behave towards subject matter. It can direct behavior toward particular goals, lead to increased effort and energy, increase initiation of and persistence in activities, enhance cognitive processing, determine what consequences are reinforcing, and lead to improved performance.

On the other hand, because of the well-built motivation of the learners they would definitely foster their study skills and, thus, study skills are of use to them.

Study skills refer to the approaches applied to learning. They are generally critical to success in school, are considered essential for acquiring good grades, and are useful for learning throughout one's life. More broadly, any skill which boosts a person's ability to study and pass exams can be termed a study skill, and this could include time management and motivational techniques.

There are arrays of study skills, which may tackle the process of organizing and taking in new information, retaining information, or dealing with assessments. These study skills that are commonly and habitually use by the learners are the following: memorization, mnemonic devices, visual imagery, note-taking, review and tutorial.

According to Bremer (1996), memorization is one of the most basic approaches to learning any information that is simply to repeat it. Memorization typically comprises of reading over notes or textbooks and re-writing notes. In addition, mnemonics aids the retention of lists of information, effective reading and concentration technique. Some use a simple phrase or fact as a trigger for a longer list of information. Visual imagery in which learners are thought to have a visual learning style and will benefit greatly from taking information from their studies is often heavily verbal and using visual techniques to help encode and retain it in memory. Note taking is the practice of recording information captured from a transient source, such as an oral discussion at a meeting, or a lecture. Review is the practice or the manner of looking over notes and course materials. Tutorials are being designed to provide instruction or training using exercises and assignments. Study skills are discrete techniques that can be learned, usually in a short time, and applied to all or most fields of study. Therefore, the study skills of the learners are beneficial in helping them to have better outcomes on their learning. However, learners’ application of study skills might not be very effective unless they are properly motivated.

In our country, Filipino learners such as primary learners do well on their performance because of the fact that they wanted to achieve something. They wanted to prove something to themselves as they give gratitude to their parents and attain admiration towards other learners. As a consequence, by using the study skills learners are persistent and determined to arrive at their motivations.

As future teachers majoring in English, the researchers want to know how the motivation of the pupils influences constructively their study skills. Thus, this study has to be conducted to test how motivation helps in the academic performance of the pupils.

Theoretical Framework

Thorndike’s Law of Exercise (Lefrancois, 2000) states that other things being equal, the more frequent a modifiable connection between a situation and response is used, the stronger is the connection. When a modifiable connection between a situation and a response is not being used over a period of time, the strength of that connection is weakened. A behavior that is stimulated over regular period tend to be repeated leading to habit formation. This law summarizes that the effects of the three variables of classical conditioning such as recency, frequency and contiguity strengthen the bond between stimuli and responses. A student who has developed this kind of behavior, in this case, in terms of having regular and scheduled study periods and follows certain methods in studying proves to have better performance. Thus, a student who always studies his lessons has the good result of doing it. Studying for him becomes his habit. In this sense, his study skills are being exercised and done.

When a learner gains good grades because of his good study habits, this has a good effect on him. He has the perception to study more for the next lesson. Thorndike’s Law of Effect, as Thorndike’s most important law scaffolds this view that it maintains that if a response in the presence of a stimulus leads to satisfying effects, the association between the stimulus and the response is strengthened (Weiten, 1992). It is also referred to as instrumental learning where the response that is instrumental in bringing out a satisfying state forms a connection between the response and the stimulus (Lefrancois, 2000). This view states that the effect refers to the emotional state of the student, and relates to motivation. Positive reinforcement that gives the student a feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction is more likely to result in learning than negative reinforcement or punishment. Not every learning experience will be 100% successful, but the student should have some positive feelings in order to learn best.

Moreover, a learner also needs motivation to perform better on his studies. Intrinsic motivation states that it is a motivation that is driven by an interest or enjoyment in the task itself, and exists within the individual rather than relying on any external pressure. Intrinsic motivation is a kind of motivation in which the learners are more prompt in doing well their studies. Intrinsic Motivation is based on taking pleasure in an activity rather working towards an external reward (Harter, 1981). Intrinsic motivation has been studied by social and educational psychologists since the early 1970s. Students who are intrinsically motivated are more likely to engage in the task willingly as well as work to improve their skills, which will increase their capabilities (Cordova & Lepper, 1995). Students are likely to be intrinsically motivated if they attribute their educational results to factors under their own control, also known as autonomy, believe they have the skill that will allow them to be effective agents in reaching desired goals (i.e. the results are not determined by luck), and are interested in mastering a topic, rather than just rote-learning to achieve good grades. They are being encouraged not by any material things but they are motivated because students are likely intrinsically motivated if they have the will to attribute their educational results to factors under their own control such as the effort expended. Likewise, a student is intrinsically motivated because they he believes he can be an effective agents in reaching desired goals and he is interested in mastering a topic, rather than just rote-learning to achieve good grades.

On the other hand, there are also learners who are motivated when they are to receive incentives or when they are afraid to be punished that is why they also do well on their studies. Extrinsic motivation refers to the performance of an activity in order to attain an outcome, which then contradicts intrinsic motivation. Extrinsic motivation comes from the outside of the individual. Extrinsic motivation supports this statement asserting that a crowd cheering on the individual and trophies are also extrinsic incentives. Common extrinsic motivations are rewards like money and grades, coercion and threat of punishment. Competition is in general extrinsic because it encourages the performer to win and beat others, not to enjoy the intrinsic rewards of the activity. However, extrinsic motivation can be internalized in a way that the task of an individual fits with his values and beliefs and therefore helps to fulfil his basic psychological needs. Self-determination theory is being referred on this statement. Learners who possess this motivation are said to be persuaded more because they are likely to expect rewards at the end of the period.

Furthermore, David McClelland’s Motivational Needs Theory (1956) such as The Need for Achievement, The Need for Power and The Need for Affiliation points that these needs are found to be of varying degrees in all workers and managers. This mix of motivational needs characterizes a person's or manager's style and behavior both in terms of being motivated and managing others. Thus, these motivational needs can also be found within the learners due to the fact that they make every effort on their studies because they want to achieve something.

The Need for Achievement (N-ach) affirms that the n-ach person is 'achievement motivated' and therefore seeks achievement, attainment of realistic but challenging goals, and advancement in the job. There is a strong need for feedback as to achievement and progress, and a need for a sense of accomplishment. On this motivational need, a learner seeks to have an achievement as the result of his efforts in studying. In addition, a learner also has this want to be the most outstanding student in his group.

The Need for Power (N-pow) asserts that the n-pow person is 'authority motivated.' This driver produces a need to be influential, effective and made an impact. There is a strong need to lead and for his ideas to prevail. There is also motivation and need towards increasing personal status and prestige. Hence, a learner is inspired to try hard his best for him to gain an authority towards others --- authority that a learner can make his colleagues to stick to him and count on him. Consequently, the learner is going to be powerful in a good way.

The Need for Affiliation (N-affil) stresses that the n-affil person is 'affiliation motivated' and has a need for friendly relationships and is motivated towards interaction with other people. The affiliation driver produces motivation and need to be liked and held in popular regard. These people are team players. Accordingly, a learner is driven by his desires to have a social rapport towards others because the more he achieves something the more other individuals will like him.

Conceptual Framework

Figure 1 is the schematic diagram that shows the relationship between motivation and study skills. The independent variables represent how motivation influences the study skills of the pupils. It shows that study skills such as memorization, mnemonic devices, visual imagery, note-taking, review and tutorial are the strategies being used by the learners effectively. Likewise, in the dependent variables show that study skills give influence to both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation of the learner.

Independent variables as it influence the dependent variable of this research are on the basis of psychological and educational theories, principles and concepts. This study attempted to document and pinpoints the influence of study skills on motivation. It also focuses on the strategies and techniques of the learners and its effects on their academic performance.

Independent Variables Dependent Variables
Motivation
* Intrinsic * extrinsic
Study Skills * Memorization * Mnemonic Devices * Visual Imagery * Note-taking * Review * Tutorial

Figure 1. Schematic diagram showing the connection between the motivations and study skills of the learners.
Statement of the Problem

This study attempted to document and pinpoints the influence of study skills on motivation among the Grade IV Pupils in Iligan City North Central School. 1. What are the study skills employed by the respondents in terms of: a. Memorization b. Mnemonic Devices c. Visual Imagery d. Note-taking e. Review f. Tutorial 2. What is the intensity of the respondents’ motivation in terms of: a. Intrinsic b. Extrinsic 3. Is there an important influence of the respondents’ study skills on their motivation? 4. What are the effects or results of the findings of this study on improving learners’ performance in the classroom? Hypothesis Ho1: There is no significant influence between the study skills of the respondents and the motivation Ho2: there is no significant difference among the respondents’ study skills and the respondents’ motivation

Significance of the Study The following groups are expected to benefit from this study:
Pupils. The students will know the influences of their skills in studying on their motivation.
Parents. This will be a great help for them to be aware about the studies of their children and for them to guide more and encourage more their children to do better in school. Teachers. This will help them to understand that each learner has its own way in developing their academic performance in school.
The School Administrators. The findings will hopefully give them more knowledge that motivation has a huge factor in learner’s achievement in school on their studies.
Future researchers. For the future researchers, they could use this study as a basis of their own research.

Scope and Limitations

The scope of this research is the Grade IV pupils in Iligan City North Central School. The limitations of this research are only those students that are currently enrolled at ICNCS. Only those Grade IV pupils are allowed to participate in the research.

This study considered only Iligan City North Central School and the specific pupils of the school. This may have an effect on the generalizability of the study and its findings. However, its findings, at least some portion and extent of it may still hold true to other schools possessing the same characteristics or adhering to the influence of study skills on motivation among the Grade IV Pupils of ICNCS.

Definition of Terms To make the study clearer and more understandable, the researchers defined in this section the following terms.
Influence . It is the effect on something on a person, thing or event.
Study skills. It is the study strategies are approaches applied to learning.
Motivation. It is the driving force by which humans achieve their goals.
Intrinsic motivation. It is a kind of motivation that is driven by an interest or enjoyment in the task itself, and exists within the individual rather than relying on any external pressure.
Extrinsic motivation. Is a kind of motivation that comes from outside of the individual. Common extrinsic motivations are rewards like money and grades, coercion and threat of punishment.

CHAPTER 2 Review of Related Literature and Studies

Related Literature

Karim and Hassan (2006) noted that exponential growth of the digital information changes the way the students perceive studying and with the use of the printed materials that facilitate learning. Liu (2005) and Ramirez (2003) reported that students print material from the Internet in order to study and read later on. Igun (2005) found out that Nigerians study from materials downloaded from the Internet.

Leedy(1956) emphasized that reading is an attempt to absorb the thought of the author and know what the author is conveying.

Study habits and skills are particularly important for college students whose needs include time management, note taking, Internet skill, elimination of distractions, and assigning a high priority to study. Fielden (2004) stated that good study habits help the students in critical reflection in skills outcomes such as selecting, analyzing, critiquing, and synthesizing. Nneji (2002) stated that study habits are learning tendencies that enable students to work privately. According to the how-to-study.com (2009), students who are very successful in their desired career have good study habits. In addition, students apply these habits to all of their classes while they learn some tips in improving their study habits They follow the suggestions and recommendations try not to study all the subjects in just a period. If one tries to do too much studying at one time, one will be tired and studying will not be very effective. There is a need of a space for shorter periods of time while studying. Taking short breaks restores one’s mental energy.

Related Studies

The study of Bagongon and Edpalina (2009) showed that the extent of student’s learning in academics may be determined by the grades a student earns for a particular period. It is believed that the primary indicator of such learning is the grade. If a student earns high grades, he may have learned a lot; while low grades indicate lesser learning.

However, some studies found out that there are several factors that would account for the grades. There is no single factor that points out to predict grades. It is an interplay of some factors – gender, IQ, study habits, age, year level, parent’s educational attainment, social status, number of siblings, birth order, etc. In fact, almost all of the existing environmental and personal factors are a variable of academic performance.

Moreover, the study of Pelgone (1998) conducted at the University of Saint Anthony in Bicol was about the study skills of education college freshmen in relation to their scholastic achievement The ages of the freshmen education students ranged from 16 to 21 years old. There were more males than females. More than 5 percent of the parents are high school /elementary school graduates. Reading materials in the students' homes are limited. The proficiency level in the study skills in English of the freshmen education students did not reach the 75 percent mastery level. The scholastic achievement of the freshmen education students ranged from 80.65 percent to 87 percent. The study revealed that there was a highly significant relationship between the scholastic achievement and the study skills proficiency of the college freshmen education students.

Additionally, Constante (1998) investigated the study habits and academic performance in Mathematics of the third year high school students of Unibersidad de Sta. Isabel in Naga City. She determined the level of the study habits and academic performance in Mathematics of the university.

The level of the study habits of the students was perceived to be moderate in reading and note-taking techniques, habits of concentration, distribution of time, social relationship in study and seneral habits of work. The students got a rating of fairly satisfactory in academic performance as evidenced by the average for the first two grading periods during the school year 1997-1998. The study habits and academic performance are highly significant with each other which indicate that good study habits result to good academic performance.

Chapter 3
Research Methodology

This chapter presents the methodology of the study. It includes the research design, research setting, sampling procedures, data-gathering instruments, data-gathering procedure, validity and reliability of instruments, scoring procedure and the statistical treatments used.

Research Design

This study employed the descriptive method of research. It involves a multi-method approach in gathering necessary and valuable data: documentation of focus group discussion, interview, and survey using questionnaire.

Research Environment

This study was conducted at Iligan City North I Central School located at Brgy.Canaway,Tibanga, Iligan City. Iligan City North I Central School is the seat of North I District, Iligan City Division. This central school is composed of a huge number of learners and one of the best performing public schools of Iligan City Division.

Respondents

The respondents of this study were the Grade IV pupils of Iligan City North I Central School S.Y. 2011-2012. There were 82 respondents included in the study. The influence of motivation on study skills of the respondents was investigated.
Sampling Design

The researchers used random sampling in this study. In this kind of sampling, the researchers need to have the total population as well as the complete list of names of their respondents in selecting respondents; the researcher will just get the 3rd of the population of the respondent starting from the beginning up till the end.

Research Instrument

The researchers will use the different instruments in data gathering. First, a close-ended questionnaire is used on order to obtain the necessary information about their study skills. Second, the researchers will use a Focus Group Discussion guide to obtain the necessary data regarding the influence of study skills of Grade IV Pupils being studied at hand. The FGD will be done through a focus group discussion between the researchers facilitating it and the respondents. Lastly, secondary data were obtained from libraries and Internet sources that enhanced the review of related literature and studies. The library source included books, magazines and journals.

We made this study valid by letting the respondents, the Grade IV Pupils, answer the questionnaires accordingly. Moreover, we will document the interview with the respondents during our Focus Group Discussion.

Statistical Tools The data obtained through the survey were tabulated and treated quantitatively. In this aspect, the frequency count and the percentage distribution regarding Grade IV Pupils was obtained through this formula used below (Spearman).

nƩxixn- ƩxiƩyi

r = nƩx2i-Ʃxi2- [nƩy2-i-Ʃyi2] Where:
Xi = independent variable
Yi = dependent variable
Ʃx = summation of the scores of independent variable
Ʃy = summation of the scores of dependent variable
Ʃxy = summation of di variables
Mean = used in computing the average
Mean = Ʃxn
Where:
Ʃx = summation of scores of independent variable
N = sample size

Formula of the percentage: % = nN X 100 n= the number of respondents who answered on the specific questions
N= total number of respondents
100= constant

On the other hand, the data information obtained from the Focus Group Discussion and from the interview guide will be written down in a paragraph form and presented and treated descriptively immediately after the tabulated data about the profile of the selected Grade IV Pupils.

Treatment of the Data

Survey Questionnaire on Motivation and Study Skills
Name: _______________________________ Grade & Section: _________________
Name of School: ______________________________________
Gender: __________ Age: ________
Date: ____________
Direction: Please put check (√) on the space that corresponds to what you are actually doing, thinking, and feeling regarding the statement. There are no right and wrong answers to this questionnaire. Rest assured that your answers will be treated in strictest and will be used only for this study. I. Questions determining on what extent do learners’ motivation influences their studies.

1. I study well because I want to improve my grades. | | | | | 2. I study well because I want to I excel in the class. | | | | | 3. I study well so that my parents will be proud of me. | | | | | 4. I study well because I Want to learn new things | | | | | 5. I study very hard because it’s my foundation to be successful someday. | | | | | 6. I study well because I want to defeat others. | | | | | 7. I study well because I will receive something at the end of the grading period. | | | | | 8. I study well because I’m afraid I will be scolded by my parents if my grades are low. | | | | | 9. I study well becauseI want to receive anaward in the class. | | | | | 10. I study well because many people will look up to me. | | | | |

II. Questions determining on what study skills do learners mostly used.

Strongly Agree Disagree Strongly Agree Disagree 1. I study by memorizing my lessons for me to make sure I would not forget anything. | | | | | 2. I usually retain my lessons in my memory and write it down on a paper for me to recall the lessons. | | | | | 3. I use short rhymes or phrase in studying my lessons in order for me to easily remember it. | | | | | 4. I use acronyms for me to recall and memorize my lessons. | | | | | 5. I use drawings and pictures when I’m studying because I easily understand what the pictures convey. | | | | | 6. I recall my lessons by using charts and diagrams. | | | | | 7. I prefer to study my notes taken down from the class discussion because I’m comfortable studying my notes. | | | | | 8. I rely more to my notes rather than books. | | | | | 9. I usually look over my notes. | | | | | 10. I always review my lessons during my vacant time. | | | | | 11. I have a hired tutor during my study time for him/her to guide me. | | | | | 12. My parents are alwayswith me when I’m studying. | | | | |

A brilliant mind without a heart is nothing. * Dr. Ambeth R. Ocampo