Motivation, as vital component of the learning process, is supported by three major theories, namely that of self-efficacy, of self-worth, and of self-determination (Module 17: Self Theories), which are altogether based on competence in shaping the self. Self-efficacy can be defined as an individual's expectation that he is capable of successfully performing an activity. According to the self-worth theory, individuals need a constant positive appraisal of their own value as persons, and the way to protect their self-worth is by entertaining the belief that they are competent. Finally, the self-determination theory asserts that human beings possess universal, inherent needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness.
What transpires from the three theories of motivation is the fact that human beings need to envision their selves as competent, which would entirely justify an inherent desire to explore and attempt mastery of certain skills. At the very root of self-efficacy is the personal belief that one has the knowledge or skills to succeed in a given activity, whereas self-worth is grounded in the basic need to defend individual perception of competence. Lastly, the need to feel competent is central to the motivational striving for self-determination. Interestingly, students with a high level of self-efficacy are more likely to "engage in self-regulatory processes such as goal setting, self-monitoring, self-evaluation, and effective strategy use" (Module 17: Self Theories).
Moreover, in order to successfully initiate activities in the surrounding environment for the purpose of achieving and maintaining competence, an individual also needs to feel safe while doing so, and the feeling of security comes from the existence of relatedness, or the social awareness of being connected to others. Additionally, it would be interesting to note that behavior is viewed as internally regulated in all three theories, and thus is not of a pressured or otherwise externally controlled origin. Self-efficacy is domain-specific, which means that it involves expectations about reaching a particular goal. Similarly, self-determination is domain-specific insofar as the...
Human Beings Make Sense of Things In the early-1900s, Edmund Husserl sought to provide psychology with a truly scientific basis, not by copying the physical sciences but through the description of conscious experiences. This would be a truly humanistic psychology, grounded in human life and experience rather than materialistic and mechanistic theories like functionalism and behaviorism. Karl Jaspers called for a psychology that would describe phenomena such as "hallucinations, delusions,
Human Being, Development and Change l. What does being human mean: internally, relationally and in a wider social contest? There are many different viewpoints on what it means to be human, but most boil down to the struggle between right and wrong and the role of personal responsibility. Internally, human beings struggle daily with "good" versus "bad" impulses; responsible human adults have learned to delay gratification and make use of the
human being has a set of biological features that distinguishes him from others and this feature is known as the person's race (Babbitt and Campbell 202). Racism can be described as the philosophy or practice of perceiving dominance of one group over others. Racism can either be based on race, color, ethnicity or cultural heritage. It is not only limited to a particular area or group of people but
Much of the nature of the widespread use of alcohol at this time is cited by the author, who also notes the high rate of alcoholism among slaves, the way women drank in private so their family would not know, the relationship of alcohol use to social position, and so on. Drinking was only one factor marking social divisions, and it as one of the few that could be controlled.
Human beings constantly seek a sense of belonging, even identity from the society within which they live. Unfortunately, humans as a breed possess superficial differences while intrinsically being the same. Such superficial differences often leads to segregation and the drawing of lines between different 'types.' Discrimination has always existed historically and continues in one form or the other (race, color, religion, wealth or sexual preferences) even today in spite
Digital Knowledge and the Human Art of Thinking Digital Knowledge, New Horizons for the Human Art of Thinking, and Creating Knowledge Digital technology has introduced people to new paradigms of thinking and creativity necessary to make use of this elaborate technology. In the past, the limited technology environment reinforced a linear approach to education and thinking dictated by the use of books and expected to work in digital settings in much the
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