Editing Intrinsic Motivation (section)

==Challenges==
In the real world, learners are motivated by both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. For example, we could say that we are intrinsically motivated to study this program because we chose it based on our interests, but we also do realize that the skills we might gain by doing this will help us establish desirable careers, which brings extrinsic rewards into the mix. These tasks that may have been intrinsically motivated often turn into chores for gaining rewards in the future due to various factors such as societal norms, pressure, finances, or other “adulting” responsibilities. Unfortunately, intrinsic motivation is hard to sustain with these extrinsic factors affecting day-to-day lives. <ref name="hart"> Harter, S. (1982). A developmental perspective on some parameters of self-regulation in children. In P. Karoly & F.H. Kanfer (Eds.), Self-management and behavior change: From theory to practice. (pp. 165–204). New York: Pergamon Press.</ref>Susan Harter (as cited in <ref name="martinez" />Martinez) found that intrinsic motivation declines sharply as children move from elementary school to high school. <ref name="gott" />Gottfried’s research however shows that this trend is not general, and in fact, varies by subject. For example, intrinsic motivation toward reading decreases, whereas it increases for social studies as learners' grade increases.

While there is research that shows that extrinsic rewards are not counterproductive to improving performance, there is also research that shows that they can affect intrinsic motivation negatively. The conventional educational structure that is governed by extrinsic controls might not let learners feel that they have choice or control over their learning journeys. Hence, intrinsic motivation tends to decrease and schoolwork is not considered synonymous with enjoyment or a <q>flow</q> state. Since separating the intrinsic and extrinsic factors that might be involved in any task is difficult, so is the solution to how we can create, foster, and sustain intrinsic motivation in learners. Ideally, a balance between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation needs to be established, as intrinsic motivation can benefit long-term meaningful learning, whereas extrinsic motivation can improve performance and make learners explore tasks they would have avoided based on biases or interests.