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projects/Action Research



Enhancing Achievement Motivation among Teachers
Success of any educating process depends on the teacher. Many innovative classroom and school practices have been found to be useful to accomplish educational objectives. All the modern innovative strategies of teaching yield positive results, only when teacher has a motive to achieve. This motivation to achieve is called as achievement motivation. It may be also referred to as need for achievement or need achievement or ‘n’ ach. Teachers do differ from one another in their strength of achievement motive. This difference in the strength of motivation to achieve among teachers is the basis for understanding the effectiveness of different schools. A school will be effective in its performance only when teachers working in that school possess high level of achievement motivation.



Achievement – Oriented and Avoidance – oriented Teachers:
A teacher would be an achievement - oriented if he/she could accomplish the expected goals and failure to attain expected goals leads to avoidance tendency. Every person while attempting to reach the set goals, there is always a possibility that he/she may develop a gap between what is expected and what is attained. If this gap is more, it leads to avoidance - orientation and if it is less, it leads to achievement - orientation.

Achievement motivation develops in those teachers whose achievement outcomes have moderate discrepancy from what has previously been expected by them. This indicates that the achievement outcome of those teachers has positive effect. On the other hand in those teachers whose achievement motivation is relatively less, achievement outcome have great discrepancy from what has been previously expected and this affect negatively.

This paradigm helps us to know the teachers who will develop achievement motivation and who will not. This also facilitate in identifying the teachers who will act in an achievement – oriented way in a given situation. To be achievement – oriented teacher, the gap between expected and achieved should be less. Following activities are suggested to reduce the discrepancy between expected and achieved, in order to become achievement – oriented.

Techniques of Achieving Success:
In order to achieve success, it is necessary to build confidence and self – belief which are basis for ‘n’ ach. Achievement motivation is desire for success, for accepting challenging tasks and holding high ambition. Some of the important techniques of achieving success are dealt here.

1. Avoid Excuses: It is common observation that many of us make unjustifiable and untrue excuses to avoid certain tasks.

Normally we give such excuses for almost anything. But if you want to achieve success never make such excuses. Success is possible only when you build confidence. These excuses are the indications of lack of confidence. These excuses take you far away from your goal. So try to avoid from your thought and speech such words like – ‘I cannot’ and ‘I am not’ and replace them with ‘I can’ and ‘I am’. To get success, replace all negative feelings from your mind with positive feelings.

2. Develop Self – Image: Improve your self – image to achieve success. The mind, with its limitless capacities, can help you immeasurably to achieve your life ambition if you give it a chance. Clearly visualize whatever that you want to achieve. The more you think about it the greater the certainty of achieving it. Always think of your goal, as there is a saying, ‘what we think about, we become’. If you continually allow your thoughts on illness, you almost certainly will experience the ailments that you think about. So in building confidence to achieve success, it is essential to think positively.

3. Do not Fear Failure: Fear of failure reduces your confidence and your chances of achieving success. When undertaking a challenging task, ask yourself what is the worst that can happen. And then plan for contingent ways of handling such situation. After having planned a contingency, remove that thought completely and concentrate on the plan for success. But whatever you do, don’t fear failure.

4. Practice: Practice is most important for achieving success. Practice makes you perfect. Once, a journalist approached Lata Mangheshkar to fix appointment with her for an interview. He asked for appointment between 4 O’ clock in the morning to 10 O’ clock, but she said that she would be praying at that time. Journalist thought that she is an orthodox lady praying six hours in the morning. But she negated it and told him that she would be practicing at that time and affirmed that ‘practice is her prayer’.

5. Maintain Record of Past Successes: Everybody has successes in their lives. Think back to your earliest memory of success. It may be at your school days, winning a essay writing competition. From that earliest success, recall every success experience you had in your life. Record all those successes in a note book. When you are encountered with a possible loss of confidence you can turn that book and refresh your valuable success experiences in the past. This would help you to achieve success in the present situation also.

Characteristics of High ‘n’ – ach Persons:
Some important characteristics of persons with high achievement motivation are discussed here to help teachers imbibe these characteristics for developing and enhancing their achievement motivation.

Teacher Motivation