Editing Extrinsic Motivation

“<i>Extrinsic motivation is a construct that pertains whenever an activity is done in order to attain some separable outcome</i>” (Ryan, Deci, 2000). In other words, extrinsic motivation is when the person is motivated to act based on a certain outcome that does not directly relate to the activity itself. This is important to schools because every year students become less interested and less motivated in the subjects of learning, which teachers must find ways to prevent this happening (Martinez, 2010). By providing some kind of rewards that does not relate to the subject, or establishing punishments for not completing an academic task, students become extrinsically motivated to finish the given task. These are forms of <i>external regulation</i> in which behaviors are done for the purpose of gaining a reward or avoiding a punishment, and not because of the interest in learning (Ryan, Deci, 2000).
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There seems to be for and against arguments about the value of extrinsic motivation based on rewards or punishments. Martinez (2010) points out extrinsic rewards are possible factors that lead to the decline of <i>intrinsic motivation</i> (which, based on Martinez, refers to the willingness to do something out of one’s own sake) in academic settings. On the other hand, research has also shown that if the person is extrinsically motivated by the external regulations of an activity (such as a reward), he/she may start discovering the intrinsic properties of the activity, and gradually shifting toward being intrinsically motivated, given that the external regulation is not too controlling (Ryan, Deci, 2000).
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In an example, Marteniz (2010) explains that test scores and course grades could overwhelm the student because of the reactions from parents, teachers, and peers, which may become a hindrance to the students’ interest in studying. As a counter example, Marteniz (2010) states that rewards that make the student extrinsically motivated generate beliefs about personal competence that were not there before. This may set the path for a development of intrinsic motivation later in the students’ journey of study. Relating to this, many extrinsic motivators can be seen in gaming. Examples like failing a level, losing a life, high score rewards, star rewards upon clearing a level, daily log in rewards etc. are all kinds of external regulations to keep the player extrinsically motivated (Vriend, 2017). Whether the player enjoys the game itself or the rewards are questionable. In the game Angry Birds, the player is rewarded 1-3 stars based on his performance on clearing a level, the star is a reward to keep the player extrinsically motivated, because he/she may replay the level again to collect all 3 stars, but may not be intrinsically motivated about replaying the level itself  (Star | Angry Birds Wiki | Fandom, n.d.).
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Taking a critical stance of extrinsic motivation, there seems to be an argument from both positive and negative points of views. From an educational perspective, a student may be extrinsically motivated to study because of the rewards, which may or may not result in a decent grade. However with the extrinsic rewards that serve as extrinsic motivators, there can potentially be no need to address to the student’s intrinsic motives to learning, since the behavior of study can be justified by the extrinsic motivation through rewards (Martinez, 2010). With this in mind, perhaps the debate is to know when to apply extrinsic motivators and assess whether students may develop an intrinsic interest toward the learning subject through their original extrinsic motivation. On the other hand, if behaviors can be controlled by evoking extrinsic motivation, is there any need to dive into the intrinsic motives of the learner? Applying this idea to a gaming perspective, as long as the rewards are enough to keep the player extrinsically motivated, does it still matter how the game should be designed to evoke intrinsic motivation?
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<b>References:</b> <br>
Martinez, M. E. (2010). Emotion, Motivation, and Volition. <i>In Learning and Cognition: The Design of the Mind </i>(pp. 153–188). Boston: Merrill.<br>
R.M. Ryan, E.L. Deci (2000). Intrinsic and extrinsic motivations: classic definitions and new directions. <i>In Contemp. Educ. Psychol., </i>25 (1) (2000), pp. 54-67 <br>
Star | Angry Birds Wiki | Fandom. (n.d.). Angry Birds Wiki. https://angrybirds.fandom.com/wiki/Star <br>
Vriend, S. (2017, August 4). Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Game Developer. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/intrinsic-and-extrinsic-motivation