Motivation to Learn Online: An Analysis From Mcclelland’s Theory of Needs

Abstract

Motivation has been identified as a main factor influencing engagement and achievement of learners in online learning. Studying the motivations of language learners is crucial to address the challenges of online learning. This quantitative study is done to explore learners' online motivation (Fowler, 2018) from the point of view of McClelland's (1965) theory. McClelland's theory suggested three basic needs that people derive from their life experiences: Need for Achievement, Need for Affiliation and Need for Power. This study used a 5-point Likert Scale instrument consisting of 4 sections. Section A has 3 items on demographic profile. Section B has 12 items on Power, section C has 14 items on Achievements and section D has 12 items on Affiliation. A purposive sample of 156 participants from a public university in Malaysia responded to the survey. The major findings reveal the positive impact of McClelland's Needs Theory on online language learning. Most students believed in their online learning abilities in terms of self-efficacy and desired motivation, control belief factors also led them to achieve desired outcomes. Students were also influenced by intrinsic and extrinsic motivation to perform better in online language learning. Students felt engaged and can interact freely in the language classroom. A strong positive correlation was found between all the variables to motivate online language learning. It is recommended that the motivation to learn languages online be further explored from a variety of perspectives and theories. Future research could also examine the comparison of motivation theories on online learning.

The nexus of employee motivation and leadership: A study of the government employees in Georgia

“…The questionnaire provides a list of indicators and details on converting them into points for subsequent statistical analysis (Google Form, 2023). The questionnaire questions were constructed based on established theories of motivation, drawing from the works of Rojas, Méndez, and Watkins-Fassler (2023); Siok et al (2023); Lokman et al (2022);and Hirvi et al (2023). The survey participants comprised government employees from the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development and the Ministry of Finance in Georgia.…”

“…Motivational theories provide a solid foundation for comprehending the multifaceted nature of employee motivation. For instance, Maslow's hierarchy of needs and McClelland's theory of the need for achievement underscore that individuals are primarily driven by their needs, which external motivators or incentives can potentially fulfill (Rojas et al, 2023;Siok et al, 2023). Vroom's expectancy theory further reinforces this notion, asserting that motivation hinges on the expectation of rewards linked to goal achievement (Lokman et al, 2022;Ismawati et al, 2023).…”

“…In today's highly competitive business landscape, where success hinges on creativity and adaptability, motivating employees is a significant managerial challenge (Pavlenchyk et al, 2023). As contemporary motivation theories depict, sustainable motivation stems from a complex interplay of internal and external factors (Siok et al, 2023;Lokman et al, 2022;Hirvi et al, 2023). It is most effective when anchored in a sense of purpose, making it less susceptible to transience.…”

Organizational culture and its influence on employee motivation in a general services company, Lima, 2022

“…when he has achieved his goals, he will feel a greater degree of satisfaction and responsibility, and he also considers that the person will contribute to his good mood by receiving incentives and not so much for the economic issue, but he will think that the incentives are given for his good performance and behavior. It should be noted that for achievement to exist, it is necessary to practice good feedback from each of the members of the company [17]. b) Power is a need felt by the person to be superior to others and to be recognized, there are two types of power, the real power that alludes to an influential being who wants to dominate others always looking for competitions in order to demonstrate that he is the best, and on the other hand the socialized power, which shows that the person is more concerned about the welfare of his team before him [17].…”

“…It should be noted that for achievement to exist, it is necessary to practice good feedback from each of the members of the company [17]. b) Power is a need felt by the person to be superior to others and to be recognized, there are two types of power, the real power that alludes to an influential being who wants to dominate others always looking for competitions in order to demonstrate that he is the best, and on the other hand the socialized power, which shows that the person is more concerned about the welfare of his team before him [17]. c) With respect to affiliation, McClelland conducted a study on their emotions with a group of workers, in which they were asked about their work preferences, concluding that each worker has different levels of affiliation because some liked to work in a team, others opted for social relationships and others did not consider it important [17].…”