Types of motivation: Extrinsic

•  Promise of rewards (such as money or a high grade)
• And/or threat of punishment (such as fine or insufficient grade)
• Suitable for simple, rote tasks, that are not challenging or interesting
• But what is learned through the “carrot-and-stick” method does not nestle so well into one’s long-term memory
• Takes away from creativity & originality (of thought)
• THUS: although it has a time and place, much of what we would like our students to learn, remember and be able to apply to various situations benefits more from an appeal to intrinsic motivation.

Much of what we want our students to learn benefits from an appeal to intrinsic motivation.

Intrinsic Motivation

• Students do the work (learn/carry out tasks) for its own sake
• Appeal to curiosity, creativity and enjoyment
• Suitable for cognitive, non-repetitive tasks, for which various strategies may be employed
• Emphasis on “trial-and-error” or “finding-out” helps with long-term memory
• Higher-level thinking and flexibility of applying knowledge in different settings
• THUS: in higher education, intrinsic motivation tends to promote the type of learning outcomes that we value. However, for reasons of practicality and tradition, our education practices tend to rely more heavily on strategies associated with extrinsic motivation.

For reasons of practicality and tradition, we tend to rely heavily on extrinsic motivation strategies.

Internalised Motivation

You were probably already familiar with the concepts of extrinsic and intrinsic motivation. A third, less well-known, type of motivation is known as internalised motivation. It derives from Self-Determination Theory, which defines it as:

“the process of taking in values, beliefs or behavioural regulations from external sources and transforming them into one’s own.”

Although Ryan and Deci (the founders of Self-Determination Theory) identify varying degrees of internalisation, they all rely on the need to feel related to other people, and the need to feel competent and be perceived as being competent by others.

THUS: A Student may become interested in a topic, when they see the interest and enthusiasm for that topic in someone they respect or someone they consider as part of their in-group.

Other people can inspire us to become motivated to learn more about a topic.

Relatedness and Transparency

Above, I have mentioned the notion of value. People tend to want to engage in activities that they understand to be meaningful. (This, in combination with the need for competence, also mentioned above, form the basis of Expectancy-Value Theory.)

Being explicit about the value of reading literature, doing an assignment, having a discussion, etc. etc. can be a great motivator for students. Not only does it help them to place these activities within the larger scope of their studies, but this kind of transparency also builds trust, mutual respect, and rapport with a group.

THUS: It often helps to be clear about why you want students to do something, why a course is constructed the way it is, why you cannot possibly give detailed feedback to 150 students within two days, etc. etc.  This makes students feel appreciated as adult human beings and makes them take responsibility for their own learning processes.

The role of Autonomy (and autonomy support)

We probably all have experienced the difference between being told exactly what to do and how to do it, versus being given a rough idea of the desired outcome and trusted with finding a way to achieve it ourselves. In the first situation, we are merely executing instructions; in the second, our knowledge, skills and creativity is appealed to. Most people find the second option infinitely more satisfying and motivating.

Even more so than relatedness and competence, our need for autonomy is central to Self-Determination Theory. And for good reason: when activities and tasks are perceived as voluntary or self-endorsed, people tend to be much more committed to them.

THUS: Giving students choices between of within assignments, emphasising aims rather than preconceived processes, and building in creative components helps to satisfy the need for autonomy, and with that, enhance a sense of achievement. It also trains transferability of knowledge and higher-level thinking skills.