• Level 1: Physiological — food, water, shelter, clothing, sleep.
• Level 2: Security — of health, of body, of employment, of property.
• Level 3: Social — identification, affection, social contacts, friendship, family.
• Level 4: Esteem — success, prestige, confidence, recognition, respect of others, respect by others.
• Level 5: Self-actualisation — self-development, morality, creativity, personal growth, intrinsic fulfillment.
Everyone starts off at Level 1, the level of physiological needs, and moves up the hierarchy as each level is met. If circumstances change, a person would revert to the lower levels. A wealthy man may be at Level 4 or 5, where he needs success and recognition, self-development and personal growth. But if he goes bankrupt, he will return to Level 1 where he has to fight for survival.
Very often, people who are forced into a survival mode do not care about higher needs. They act roughly and selfishly, not bothering that their actions might cause them to lose the affection and respect of others. Survival comes first. Doing well in studies is quite high up this hierarchy. In order for students to excel, they must meet their basic Levels 1 and 2 needs.
Students who have to worry about food, clothing, health, security, etc., will obviously not be able to concentrate on their studies. “Security” in this case would include the attitude of teachers. Students need to feel comfortable with their teachers and not fear teachers who might be overly strict disciplinarians. Likewise, they need to feel safe with their schoolmates and not feel threatened by bullies.
Students also need to meet their Level 3 social needs for affection and social contacts. They will be better motivated to study if they have friends in school and also if they enjoy warm, loving relationships with teachers, parents and other adults. To encourage even better performance from students, their Level 4 needs for recognition and self-esteem must be met as well.
One obvious way is to present awards to top students, but this benefits only a small number of students who do exceptionally well. The rest need just as much, or even more, encouragement. While it would not be meaningful to give awards to all students, they can be praised and recognised in other ways. Teachers do this with primary school children by giving stars when the children do well.
For older students, remarks like “Well done!” or “Good work!” can show students that their efforts are recognised. Yet another way is to appoint students in positions of responsibility, such as by making them class monitors or school prefects. When I was appointed class monitor in Secondary 3 and 4, I felt good about myself and my grades improved. Co-curricular activities also create plenty of opportunities for students to be given recognition as leaders of sports teams, recreation clubs, uniformed groups, and so on.
Finally, a well-established school or educational system will allow students to realize their Level 5 self-actualization needs. This involves giving students opportunities to fully explore subjects of their interest, as well as to express their creativity in the arts, in special projects and so on.
Read More : Maslow’s theory — the “what” of motivation
