Motivation is one of the factors that influence the effectiveness of student learning activities. Motivation that encourages students to want to do learning activities. Therefore, in the learning process, motivation occupies the first phase compared to other learning phases.
In this motivation phase, students "must" be willing to involve themselves in achieving learning goals. And on the other hand, an educator is also expected to be able to provide "enlightenment" to students about the goals to be achieved and help students achieve learning goals efficiently. That is, with minimal effort, but achieving the goal as much as possible.
Facing students with a high learning spirit, certainly not too serious. But this is not the case for students who tend to be lazy in learning. Therefore, it takes external encouragement that is able to encourage or motivate students to continue to be active in learning.
Here, motivating students is one of the first steps that a teacher must take in the teaching and learning process. If the teacher has succeeded in building students' motivation, then it can be said that the teacher has succeeded in teaching. But this job is not easy. Motivating students not only moves students to be active in learning, but also directs and makes students motivated to learn continuously, even if they are outside the classroom or after leaving school.
Understanding Learning Motivation
The word motivation comes from the root word "motive" or "motiwum" which means "cause that moves". This word "motive" or "motive" if it develops into motivation, means to be "being moved or driven by something, and what moves it is realized in action".
Viewed in terms of ethics, motives are defined as thoughts and feelings that cause someone to do an action. The motivation is interpreted as an impulse that moves and directs someone to do something based on what they want, which is directed to the goals they want.
From a psychological point of view, the terms motives and motivation also have a slight difference, although in fact the two terms are two things in one unit. Motive means the driving force to behave, while motivation is a motive that has become active at certain times, especially if the need to achieve the goal feels very urgent.
Thus, it can be stated that motivation originates from the word motive which can be interpreted as the driving force within a person to carry out certain activities in order to achieve a goal. Even motives can be interpreted as an internal condition (preparedness). As for McDonald, motivation is a change in energy in a person that is marked by the emergence of "feeling" and preceded by a response to the existence of a goal.
From the understanding put forward by McDonald's this contains three main elements / characteristics in that motivation, namely that motivation initiates the change of energy, is characterized by feeling, and stimulated because of the purpose. But in essence, motivation is a psychological condition that encourages someone to do something.
Based on this view, the behavior that is moved is almost certainly related to the needs and objectives to be achieved, both in terms of satisfying biological needs, as well as in its relation to psychological needs.
According to al Ghazali, the emergence of human psychological behavior - which tends to be good and commendable - is caused by three driving factors, namely:
a. The need for rewards in the form of reward and heaven from God; this need is the most basic ranking. This encouragement or motivation is usually owned by lay people and the majority of humanity.
b. The need for flattery from God; this requirement is included in the medium category. This motivation is owned by pious people, although there are not many in number.
c. The need for God's pleasure and closeness to Him; this motivation ranks the most special, as is the motivation of the Prophets, shiddiqien, and the ulamas'.
