Intrinsic Motivation: Difference between revisions
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==Overview== | ==Overview== | ||
Intrinsic motivation is what an individual | Intrinsic motivation is what an individual experiences when they engage in an activity to derive intrinsically rewarding feelings from the activity itself, and not for any reward outside of the activity. People often spend long hours engaged in activities such as watching a history documentary, painting a mural, or mastering a particular tennis shot even when there is no clear reward awarded at the end of these activities. Rather, these activities incite certain internal states such as pleasure, relaxation, elimination of boredom or of [[Cognitive Dissonance Theory|cognitive dissonance]], or feeling competent that they might consider rewarding. <ref name="csiks">Csikszentmihalyi, M., Nakamura, J. (2014). The Dynamics of Intrinsic Motivation: A Study of Adolescents. In Flow and the Foundations of Positive Psychology. Springer, Dordrecht. <nowiki>https://doi-org.proxy.library.nyu.edu/10.1007/978-94-017-9088-8_12</nowiki></ref>Csikszentmihalyi & Nakamura describe such an internal state as <q>autotelic</q>, that is, having its goal within itself, or what they call the <q>[[flow]] experience.</q> In contrast to ''[[Extrinsic Motivation|extrinsic motivation]]'', an intrinsically motivated individual is considered to be a decisive entity who chooses to do specific things depending on their goals, feelings, and situation. According to <ref name="deci">Deci, E.L. (1975). Intrinsic Motivation. New York: Plenum.</ref>Deci, intrinsic motivation is behavior that people engage in to feel competent and autonomous. | ||
Intrinsic motivation is a valuable notion, especially in the context of education. According to <ref name="gott"> Gottfried, A. E. (1985). Academic intrinsic motivation in elementary and junior high school students. Journal of Educational Psychology, 77(6), 631–645. <nowiki>https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.77.6.631</nowiki></ref>Gottfried (as cited in <ref name="martinez">Martinez, M.E. (2010). Complex cognition. In Learning and Cognition: The Design of the Mind, pp. 119-152. Boston: Merrill.</ref> Martinez), intrinsic motivation is positively correlated to academic achievement. It is also associated with <ref>Amabile, T. M., Hill, K. G., Hennessey, B. A., & Tighe, E. M. (1994). The Work Preference Inventory: Assessing intrinsic and extrinsic motivational orientations. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 66(5), 950–967. <nowiki>https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.66.5.950</nowiki></ref> creativity and [[meaningful learning]]. As <ref name="martinez" />Martinez states, “excellence and enjoyment coexist and are mutually reinforcing.” It is instrumental in sustaining learning, in the sense that it | Intrinsic motivation is a valuable notion, especially in the context of education. According to <ref name="gott"> Gottfried, A. E. (1985). Academic intrinsic motivation in elementary and junior high school students. Journal of Educational Psychology, 77(6), 631–645. <nowiki>https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.77.6.631</nowiki></ref>Gottfried (as cited in <ref name="martinez">Martinez, M.E. (2010). Complex cognition. In Learning and Cognition: The Design of the Mind, pp. 119-152. Boston: Merrill.</ref> Martinez), intrinsic motivation is positively correlated to academic achievement. It is also associated with <ref>Amabile, T. M., Hill, K. G., Hennessey, B. A., & Tighe, E. M. (1994). The Work Preference Inventory: Assessing intrinsic and extrinsic motivational orientations. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 66(5), 950–967. <nowiki>https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.66.5.950</nowiki></ref> creativity and [[meaningful learning]]. As <ref name="martinez" />Martinez states, “excellence and enjoyment coexist and are mutually reinforcing.” It is instrumental in sustaining learning, in the sense that it intrinsic motivation reinforces further learning and, in turn, more motivation. For example, if you are intrinsically motivated to learn a new watercolor painting technique, the more you practice, the better you get, and in turn, the more you are motivated to paint. You may want to keep learning how to perfect this technique or diversify to other techniques. You might even combine two techniques and create a unique technique of your own. | ||
==Evidence== | ==Evidence== | ||
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Since intrinsic motivation is proven to be associated with deep conceptual understanding and creative thinking, experiences that nurture it can have far-reaching implications for meaningful learning. If the goal is to improve performance or mastery, extrinsic rewards may lead to satisfactory results. However, if the goal of education is viewed as sustaining long-term meaningful learning, intrinsic motivation should be considered and fostered. | Since intrinsic motivation is proven to be associated with deep conceptual understanding and creative thinking, experiences that nurture it can have far-reaching implications for meaningful learning. If the goal is to improve performance or mastery, extrinsic rewards may lead to satisfactory results. However, if the goal of education is viewed as sustaining long-term meaningful learning, intrinsic motivation should be considered and fostered. | ||
Two ways to do it would be to provide learners with autonomy and relatedness. Giving learners choice, or at least the perception of choice, while they embark on their learning can increase intrinsic motivation. For example, while it cannot be denied that this paper is written for extrinsic rewards, good grades in this case, the ability to choose what topic we want to write about may intrinsically motivate us to research this topic thoroughly compared to a topic that was enforced upon all of us and we may not care much about. Additionally, | Two ways to do it would be to provide learners with autonomy and relatedness. Giving learners choice, or at least the perception of choice, while they embark on their learning can increase intrinsic motivation. For example, while it cannot be denied that this paper is written for extrinsic rewards, good grades in this case, the ability to choose what topic we want to write about may intrinsically motivate us to research this topic thoroughly compared to a topic that was enforced upon all of us and we may not care much about. Additionally, contextualizing learning is key in diverse classrooms. For example, learning statistics in the context of American football might not make the activity intrinsically motivating for learners who do not know and care for the sport. Instead, if learners were to select group projects where they used statistics to solve problems they cared about, intrinsic motivation, and in turn meaningful learning, might be high. | ||
==Challenges== | ==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>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. | 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. | |||
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 create, foster, and sustain intrinsic motivation in learners. Ideally, a balance between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation needs to be | |||
==See also== | ==See also== | ||
Latest revision as of 14:12, 16 December 2022
Overview[edit | edit source]
Intrinsic motivation is what an individual experiences when they engage in an activity to derive intrinsically rewarding feelings from the activity itself, and not for any reward outside of the activity. People often spend long hours engaged in activities such as watching a history documentary, painting a mural, or mastering a particular tennis shot even when there is no clear reward awarded at the end of these activities. Rather, these activities incite certain internal states such as pleasure, relaxation, elimination of boredom or of cognitive dissonance, or feeling competent that they might consider rewarding. [1]Csikszentmihalyi & Nakamura describe such an internal state as autotelic
, that is, having its goal within itself, or what they call the flow experience.
In contrast to extrinsic motivation, an intrinsically motivated individual is considered to be a decisive entity who chooses to do specific things depending on their goals, feelings, and situation. According to [2]Deci, intrinsic motivation is behavior that people engage in to feel competent and autonomous.
Intrinsic motivation is a valuable notion, especially in the context of education. According to [3]Gottfried (as cited in [4] Martinez), intrinsic motivation is positively correlated to academic achievement. It is also associated with [5] creativity and meaningful learning. As [4]Martinez states, “excellence and enjoyment coexist and are mutually reinforcing.” It is instrumental in sustaining learning, in the sense that it intrinsic motivation reinforces further learning and, in turn, more motivation. For example, if you are intrinsically motivated to learn a new watercolor painting technique, the more you practice, the better you get, and in turn, the more you are motivated to paint. You may want to keep learning how to perfect this technique or diversify to other techniques. You might even combine two techniques and create a unique technique of your own.
Evidence[edit | edit source]
Some of the earliest evidence to support intrinsic motivation actually comes from research on animal behavior that showed that exploration is an activity that reinforces itself, that is, it could be considered intrinsically motivated. [6]Dashiell and [7]Nissen (as cited in [2]Deci) demonstrated through their experiments on rats that the subjects endured electric shocks to explore novel stimuli in a maze.
In his research, [8][9]deCharms (as cited in [1]Csikszentmihalyi & Nakamura) found that school children who felt in control of their lives and had high intrinsic motivation, or Origins, as he called them, showed more accountability for their behavior and enjoyed it regardless of external rewards. In comparison, Pawns, or children who did not feel in control of their lives did not demonstrate such behavior.
[2]Deci’s research (as cited in [1]Csikszentmihalyi & Nakamura) agreed with this hypothesis and showed that if people were given rewards such as money for things they enjoyed when this reward was taken away they lost interest in these activities faster than when there was no extrinsic reward involved.
Design implications[edit | edit source]
Since intrinsic motivation is proven to be associated with deep conceptual understanding and creative thinking, experiences that nurture it can have far-reaching implications for meaningful learning. If the goal is to improve performance or mastery, extrinsic rewards may lead to satisfactory results. However, if the goal of education is viewed as sustaining long-term meaningful learning, intrinsic motivation should be considered and fostered.
Two ways to do it would be to provide learners with autonomy and relatedness. Giving learners choice, or at least the perception of choice, while they embark on their learning can increase intrinsic motivation. For example, while it cannot be denied that this paper is written for extrinsic rewards, good grades in this case, the ability to choose what topic we want to write about may intrinsically motivate us to research this topic thoroughly compared to a topic that was enforced upon all of us and we may not care much about. Additionally, contextualizing learning is key in diverse classrooms. For example, learning statistics in the context of American football might not make the activity intrinsically motivating for learners who do not know and care for the sport. Instead, if learners were to select group projects where they used statistics to solve problems they cared about, intrinsic motivation, and in turn meaningful learning, might be high.
Challenges[edit | edit source]
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. [10]Susan Harter (as cited in [4]Martinez) found that intrinsic motivation declines sharply as children move from elementary school to high school. [3]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 flow
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.
See also[edit | edit source]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Csikszentmihalyi, M., Nakamura, J. (2014). The Dynamics of Intrinsic Motivation: A Study of Adolescents. In Flow and the Foundations of Positive Psychology. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi-org.proxy.library.nyu.edu/10.1007/978-94-017-9088-8_12
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Deci, E.L. (1975). Intrinsic Motivation. New York: Plenum.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Gottfried, A. E. (1985). Academic intrinsic motivation in elementary and junior high school students. Journal of Educational Psychology, 77(6), 631–645. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.77.6.631
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Martinez, M.E. (2010). Complex cognition. In Learning and Cognition: The Design of the Mind, pp. 119-152. Boston: Merrill.
- ↑ Amabile, T. M., Hill, K. G., Hennessey, B. A., & Tighe, E. M. (1994). The Work Preference Inventory: Assessing intrinsic and extrinsic motivational orientations. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 66(5), 950–967. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.66.5.950
- ↑ Dashiell, J. F. A quantitative demonstration of animal drive. Journal of Comparative Psychology, 1925, 5, (pp. 205–208).
- ↑ Nissen, H. W. A study of exploratory behavior in the white rat by means of the obstruction method. Journal of Genetic Psychology, 1930, 87, (pp. 361–376).
- ↑ deCharms, R. (1968). Personal causation: The internal affective determinants of behavior. New York: Academic Press.
- ↑ deCharms, R. (1976). Enhancing motivation: Change in the classroom. New York: Irvington.
- ↑ 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.