Fostering motivation as a tool for learning

    Motivation comes in many forms and directly influences a child’s engagement; subsequently influencing success in their educational endeavours. Fostering motivation is a vital role of the kaiako.

"Mauria te pono—Believe in yourself"

    

    Motivation involves a series of intricate mental elements, including: energising, directing, and maintenance which directly impact self-efficacy, attention span, and focus (Duchesne & Mcmaugh, 2019). Fostering motivation in the classroom is extremely important to a child’s academic and social success. The most common type of behaviour management strategies used in classrooms stem from extrinsic motivation. 

What is extrinsic motivation?

Extrinsic motivation in the classroom is any external stimulating factor that encourages a certain behavioural outcome or action (Duchesne & Mcmaugh, 2019). Many teachers turn to extrinsic motivation for positive behaviour when their students are not intrinsically motivated and need motivation for engagement.

Some examples of extrinsic motivation include:

• Verbal rewards/encouragement

• Tangible rewards (such as stickers and treats)

• Extra credit

• Competition (such as table points or sticker charts)

• Punishment (such as loss of privileges)

From what I have observed in the classroom, extrinsic motivation for behavioural management is by far the most commonly exercised strategy by teachers. So what is with the hype? Extrinsic motivation can be a fantastic trigger for excitement towards learning. Extrinsic motivation is easy to implement into the classroom compared to its intrinsic counterpart, as most students thrive off teacher validation and expectations—what kid doesn’t want treats! It’s easy implementation may be effective for learning and behaviour management in the short term—but what’s interesting is the long term ramifications of its implementation. 

Extrinsic motivation is not always positive...

Some students may be extrinsically motivated by fear of punishment, humiliation, or failure. To avoid these experiences, a student may engage and behave in the teacher’s desired way (Duchesne & Mcmaugh, 2019). This undermines a student's level of intrinsic motivation and has a significant impact on rich learning.

If a student is constantly worrying about it they are going to get a prize, or if they are not going to get a point for their table—what learning is actually taking place? This impermanence and surface learning is not beneficial to the individual learner. It is then that extrinsic motivation becomes counterproductive. What happens if the teacher runs out of treats one day? Fostering intrinsic motivation is essential in long term academic and social success beyond the classroom (Reeve & Halusic, 2009).

So, what is intrinsic motivation—and how does it compare?

Unlike extrinsic motivation’s impermanence, intrinsic motivation is subjective to the individual and promotes student agency—well beyond that potential Fruit Burst (Hill & Thrupp, 2019). Stemming from the self-determination theory, intrinsic motivation is sparked by the individual learner; inciting them to attain goals, identify personal values, and care for their overall well-being (Reeve & Halusic, 2009).

Examples of the benefits of intrinsic motivation include:

• Genuine curiosity and fascination for learning

• Sense of belonging 

• Autonomy and individuality

• Problem solving

• Taking on challenges

So what’s the key takeaway?

    While extrinsic motivation can be useful in certain, short-term situations; I believe it is not a sustainable method of teaching. Fostering intrinsic motivation in the classroom sets learners up for life beyond a reward and punishment system.

    Teaching through a progressive lens—such as stimulating learning through meaningful context and handing over autonomy to your students are a few ways in which the individual teacher can foster intrinsically motivated and engaged students (Reeve & Halusic, 2009). 

This way, students are ready to take on the big, wide, and “we-definitely-won't-give-you-a-chocolate-fish-for-doing-your-taxes” world!!

References

Duchesne, S., & Mcmaugh, A. (2019). Motivation and Engagement. In Educational pscyhology: for learning and teaching (pp. 343–378). Cengage Learning Australia.

Hill, M. F., & Thrupp, M. (2019). The Professional Practice of Teaching in New Zealand. Cengage.

Reeve, J., & Halusic, M. (2009). How K-12 teachers can put self-determination theory principles into practice. Theory and Research in Education, 7(2), 145–154. https://doi.org/10.1177/1477878509104319