Application of motivational mechanisms within the educational process for pupils with severe mental retardation

The bachelor thesis deals with the issue of motivation mechanisms in the scope of educational process of pupils with heavy mental disabilities. The target of the thesis is to find out which what motivation mechanisms are used by teachers of pupils with heavy mental disabilities most frequently. A partial target is the comparison of answers of teachers depending on their practice and the ascertainment if the length of practice had influence on the motivation mechanisms. The theoretical part of the thesis is devoted to the definition of mental disability, its etiology, diagnostics and classification. The following chapters focus on the education and subsequently teaching of persons with mental disabilities; the teaching is, for the purposes of my bachelors thesis specified closer in the following chapter, "Education of persons with heavy mental disabilities". This chapter is, besides the teaching, devoted also to the developing Snoezelen method and Basal stimulation concept being a part of education of persons with a mental disabilities inseparably. The last chapter of the theoretical part is the motivation in the school environment. I acquired the base for the conclusion of the practical part of thesis by means of the half-structured talks with the pre-prepared ten questions which could be changed during questioning thanks to the elected flexible method. Ten respondents answered my questions. I have found out through the questioning carried out that the pupils are motivated frequently by means of demonstration, narration or use of pictures accompanying the curriculum. The pupils are usually motivated by remuneration, the most frequent ones are a smile and subsequently small sweets. The non-verbal remuneration and punishments are present in the whole teaching process and the pupils understand them easily. The influence of practice was visible in individual answers especially in view of new methods. The teachers with a shorter practice use new and alternative methods more often and they are open to new methods, on the other hand, teachers with a longer practice use more verified methods well-tried in practice. The thesis may represent contribution as survey of used motivation mechanisms in relation to the various term of practice in the branch and as material for students desiring to work with pupils with a heavy mental disability