B.F. Skinner and Albert Bandura are two prominent names in behavioral psychology. Skinner articulated a theory on reinforcing behaviors, asserting that reinforcement in learning occurs when students receive good grades and praise from parents and teachers. Bandura's theory asserts that role models serve an important role in motivating students; teachers, siblings, friends and parents provide behaviors for the student to emulate.
Cognitive theories stress that learning comes through firsthand experience and is built on what the student already knows. It is based on the way the brain processes information rather than on behavior or emotion. Motivation to learn is directed by four cognitive needs: the need to construct an organized and logical knowledge base, self-efficacy or expectations for successful completion of a task, beliefs about which factors account for success and failure and beliefs about the nature of cognitive ability. A learner's self-perception affects his thinking which lays the groundwork for motivation.
Humanistic theories view the human experience as a whole. Noted humanist Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs explains five levels -- physiological, safety, belonging and love, esteem and self-actualization -- which need to be satisfied in order. If a person cannot satisfy the base needs, he cannot move up the pyramid. So if a student is hungry or does not feel safe or loved, he cannot focus on achieving his best potential (self-actualizing) in school.
Intrinsic motivators come from within as opposed to extrinsic motivators originating outside the student. Some students do not require direction from teachers or parents and can complete work independently, knowing what needs to be done to complete the task. Other learners require extrinsic motivation in the form of praise, punishment, grades and other consequences. Identifying the type of motivation that works with each learner is important in crafting a learning environment to suit students' needs.