Determining the Trends of Motivation Research in Distance Education

Introduction

Motivation, a Latin origin word, derives from the word “movere” meaning to act (Luthans, 1998). Motivation can be defined as the tendency, desire or direction that directs individuals to behavior (Özbaşı, Cevahir & Özdemir, 2018). Motivation is an explanatory concept that helps to understand the driving force underlying goal-oriented behaviour, the maintenance process of behavior and why individuals act in certain ways (Pintrich & Schunk, 2002).

Although motivation is a frequently used term in daily life, there are controversies in the definitions of some theorists. Wolters (2004) defines motivation as the willingness and / or tendency to act. On the other hand, Warren’s (2000) definition is broader by explaining that motivation is all internal and external elements that reveal the behavior, maintain and control it. Dörnyei and Ottó (1998) develop a new approach and associate motivation with some terms such as energy and driving force.

In summary, the concept of motivation is seen as an important factor affecting human behavior and performance (Kian, Yusoff & Rajah, 2014). Based on these definitions, motivation is the internal process that activates the individual to meet his needs, namely, the psychological or physiological need that directs the individual to behavior, and the need that enables the individual to start, maintain, and do any job (Ryan & Deci, 2000).

Motivation is the most important component of success and effective teaching and learning in the field of education, as in all areas of life, since it is a force that drives us and ensures continuity in our actions. According to Richardson et al. (2012), one of the most important factors affecting academic achievement in educational measurement tools in the learning-teaching process is motivation. Motivating students to act in the cognitive, affective or psychomotor domains can ensure their active participation in learning (Rigby, Deci, Patrick & Ryan, 1992). Therefore, academic motivation creates the starting point in learning a lesson, and activates students (Peklaj & Levpušček, 2006). Academic motivation is a factor that affects a student's attendance and academic degree in school (Clark & ​​Schroth, 2010). Barron and Harackiewicz (2001), on the other hand, associate motivation with academic engagement and define it as the most influential factor affecting students' performance.

Education researchers and practitioners state that motivation is one of the most important factors in student success, ensuring continuous success (Aluçdibi & Ekici, 2012; Pintrich, 2003). Academic motivation positively affects the working strategy, academic performance, adjustment and well-being of students (Vansteenkiste, Zhou, Lens & Soenens, 2005). Academic motivation supports the development of individuals and contributes to effective use of their potential in school (Eggen & Kauchak, 2001). High self-efficacy perceptions of highly motivated students increase their academic achievement positively (Bandura, 1989; Schunk, 1991). Having high motivation of university students is a factor that affects students' desire to learn, their academic success, their attendance to school, their graduation grade point averages and their social competence. Highly motivated students are more advantageous than low motivated or unmotivated students in effective learning. The real reason for this situation is not students' low intelligence, incompetence or inadequate study, but the failure of the students to provide the necessary motivation (Karataş, 2011; Zembat et al., 2018). Academically motivated students attend classes continuously, exhibit positive attitudes towards lessons, and their academic success and performance are positively affected. Moreover, students with high levels of motivation have a lower level of anxiety by exhibiting a more positive attitude towards the educational institution (Korkmazer, 2020).