Intrinsic Motivation vs. Extrinsic Motivation:
Students who are intrinsically motivated complete tasks or assignments because they have a sense of satisfaction or enjoyment from the activity. An extrinsically motivated student completes these tasks or assignments because of an external factor, which may include wanting a good grade, a reward system, or due to fear of punishment. Intrinsic motivation can be beneficial to students because they want to complete these tasks, despite any external factors that may positively or negatively affect them. For example, a student may be intrinsically motivated to learn about dinosaurs because that student has a high interest in that subject and does not expect any external reward or praise for learning about that-- they are internally satisfied.
How extrinsic motivation affects a student's intrinsic motivation:
When students are motivated by external factors, their intrinsic motivation and performance decrease. According to Mark R. Lepper, David Greene, and Richard E. Nisbett in the article "Undermining Children's Intrinsic Interest With Extrinsic Reward," students who are extrinsically motivated only complete the task "in order to obtain some extrinsic goal (130)." External rewards can affect students' performance because they are more concerned about completing the task and receiving the reward rather than completing an activity because of interest. The use of a reward system in a classroom is often used by new teachers in order to control the behavior of students (Reeve, Bolt, & Cai, 1999). While external rewards may encourage students to work on assignments or to complete tasks, their performance will not be as efficient in comparison to a student who is intrinsically motivated to complete a task. Intrinsic motivation is more effective because students have an internal desire to learn.
INAPPROPRIATE USES OF REWARDS: In the article "Punished by Rewards," Ron Brandt interviewed Alfie Kohn who claimed that external rewards can be detrimental to a student's learning. When external rewards are used in a classroom, the learning itself is undermined because the students may be more concerned about receiving the reward instead of increasing their knowledge.
APPROPRIATE USES OF REWARDS: There are better alternatives for rewards that can actually help foster intrinsic motivation, such as praise. Praise students for their work, but do not overuse it. Rewards that are more specific to the activity may also be effective instead of giving predetermined rewards such as candy to students. Instead, give rewards spontaneously so that students do not expect it.
In order to effectively foster intrinsic motivation for students, teachers should adopt an autonomy-supportive teaching style (Reeve et al.,1999). To achieve this style, teachers need to provide various methods for students to actively engage and participate in the learning process. Students do not want to feel like they are being controlled, therefore adopting an autonomy-supportive style will help students feel like they are in control of their own learning. Teachers who are autonomy-supportive of their students construct learning activities that spark students' interests and gives the students multiple options to choose from, such as types of projects, assignments, homework, and more. An autonomy-supportive teacher should also actively observe the activities that the students are participating in to see whether or not the students are enjoying the activity and, of course, if the activity is beneficial to their learning. The teacher can then reassess and determine what needs to be changed or what works with the activity.
TEACHER LANGUAGE: Another important factor to fostering intrinsic motivation is for teachers to be aware of their language towards students. According to Johnmarshall Reeve in his article, "Teachers as Facilitators," teachers should use "informational, noncontrolling language (229)." Students may shut down when they feel like their teachers are criticizing their work or when they provide an incorrect answer. To avoid criticism, teachers should provide helpful feedback that can improve the student's performance and understanding. An autonomy-supportive teacher will give specific feedback that shows the teacher is aware that the student is trying to improve their work and points out areas in which the student has the most strength.
RELEVANCE OF THE LESSON: Students want to know the importance of an activity they are learning about. If students feel as though there is no reason to complete an assignment or learn, they will not participate. Teachers should not force students to complete an assignment, but rather tell them the significance of it and how it can benefit them and why it should be completed.
NEEDS OF STUDENTS: Teachers should also be aware of the individual needs of students by asking them what they need and want. If a student appears to be unmotivated to do their work, it may be helpful to talk to that student in a comfortable environment. Check for competence in students in what is being taught. If a student appears to be struggling, the teacher should ask the student if there is something that they can do to assist them. The student may not understand the content and needs more assistance, or maybe the student does not want to participate in the activity. The teacher then can evaluate what can be done to help the student.
TEACHER-STUDENT RELATIONSHIP: Teachers should try to relate to their students to create a comfortable learning environment. There are four basic characteristics for teacher-student relationship that can result in student motivation (Reeve, 2006)...