Application of Maslow's Theory to Education

Importance of Maslow's Theory to Education

The most important educational goal is for students to learn. Anotherimportant goal is to make this newly gained knowledge and informationpurposefual and meaningful to the students so that it may be retained and usefulthrought their lives. An essential factor involved in meeting these goals ismotivation. If students are unmotivated in one way or another, it is likelythat little learning will take place, or if by chance some learning should takeplace, it is probable that it will not be retained.

This theory has great impact on educational structure. In order tomaximize on the effectiveness of school-wide and individual classroom teachingprograms, administrators and teachers must consider student needs and theirhierarchial order. This must be a top priority in the development of theseprograms so that students have the capability of reaching their highest levelsof potential. For instance, if a student has not had her breakfast before shecomes to school, she will not be concentrating on learning; she will beproccupied with the need for food. Because there are many children who come toschool without a proper breakfast, school systems must meet this need byproviding breakfast programs so that these children will be more likely to learneffectively.

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