The Emotional Side of Learning

Abstract

Despite its shortcomings and criticisms, the generally accepted measure of a student’s innate ability is the I.Q. test. The intelligence test seems to provide the best estimate of a learner’s academic potential. But how these possibilities are utilized depends, largely, on the degree of the youngster’s motivation. J.P. Chaplin, in his Dictionary of Psychology (Dell Publishing Co.), defines motivation as “an intervening variable which is used to account for factors within the organism which arouse, maintain, and channel behavior toward a goal.” Thus, the degree of motivation is instrumental in determining the utilization of native capability.