Intrinsic Motivation and Extrinsic Motivation: 3 Components to drive forward

MOTIVATION

Motivation: Motivation refers to the condition that motivates a person towards some action. Motivation is not an external thing that arises or ends at the will of the teacher. Motivation is of two types – intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation.

“In psychology we define motivation as a hypothetical internal process that provides the drive to behave and drives behavior toward a particular goal

“In psychology, we define motivation as a hypothetical internal process that provides the energy for behaviour and directs it towards a specific goal.”

This makes it clear that:-

(i) Motivation is called an internal state of learners.

(ii) Motivation produces certain actions in the students.

(iii) Actions are directed towards achieving some goal/objective.

(iv) The motivation generated in the learner continues until the behaviour goal is achieved.

Related:- Motivation and Maslow’s hierarchy  

3 Components of Motivation: –

There are three major components of motivation which are deeply related: –

(i) Need:

Psychologists have described need as the first step in the origin of motivation. Need can be biological like hunger, thirst, sex or social like prestige, security and dominance.

(ii) Drive:

When a need arises in a person, it naturally increases his activity and he becomes more active and stressed. This is called drive. Hunger drive arises in a person due to hunger and need.

(iii) Incentive:

The things in the external environment which satisfy the desire are called incentives. Food, water, hunger, etc. are incentives for effort and work. Their attainment leads to fulfillment of the need and decrease in drive.

Functions of Motivation in Learning Process:

Motivation in learning process is of three types.

(i) Motivation gives strength to behaviour.

(ii) Motivation gives a definite direction to behaviour. For example, students with strong achievement motivation pay more attention to what teachers say.

(iii) Motivation makes behaviour selective e.g. an unemployed child’s attention is focused on the vacancies in a newspaper goes more to the column with.

Intrinsic & Extrinsic Motivation:

Intrinsic motivation

Intrinsic motivation is an internal drive that helps us engage in an activity for its inherent interest, value, and satisfaction, without external pressure or rewards.

Example: A girl loves doing her math homework and even solves her math practice book without being asked by others. Nobody prompted her to complete her work, but she did it because she loves mathematics. She doesn’t need rewards, praise, or recognition to do it, which is characteristic of internal ( intrinsic) motivation.

Extrinsic motivation

Extrinsic motivation is an external drive that focuses on achieving a specific outcome. The person is not internally motivated, as they do the task for external factors like rewards, praise, recognition, or pressure from others.

For example, a boy participates in a school competition solely for the prize gift, a car, which he wants. He hasn’t prepared for it, nor is he interested.

In another story, Merry attends belly dance classes because her school friends are enrolled. She doesn’t love belly dancing; she wants to project a good image in front of her friends by doing what they’re doing.

Many researchers stated that giving excessive external rewards for an internal rewarded behaviour, it can reduce the intrinsic motivation. This is called over justification effect. [1]

Difference between intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation

Both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation are important in learning a lesson. Internal motivation motivates a person from within, while external motivation such as praise and rewards etc. can turn a child’s behaviour in one direction. It is necessary for teachers to motivate students by maintaining a balance between both motivation.

Importance of motivation and encouragement in learning

Here, we will know the importance of motivation in learning.

(1) Purpose or intent to learn:- first importance of motivation in learning is that the purpose of learning refers to the purposeful attention of the students to the lesson to be learned. In the absence of purposeful attention, the student can only memorize the subject. Purposeful attention to a subject depends on many things:-

(A) Need of the students

(B) Utility of the subject

(C) Specific instruction on the subject given by the teacher.

(2) Rewards and punishments: Rewards and punishments are frequently used by teachers to teach subjects. Both are used as external  (extrinsic) motivation as they don’t make any internal motivation to do the task.

Rewards can be:

(i) Verbal, such as praise,

(ii) Symbolic, like badges and certificates, and

(iii) Financial, like cash money.

Punishments:

(i) Verbal, including scolding and criticism,

(ii) Physical, such as making students stand on one leg or sit up.

Rewards and punishments, considered external motivation, have a differential effect on education and teaching. Rewards foster satisfaction, interest, enthusiasm, and high morale in students, while punishments evoke annoyance, disinterest, and discouragement.

Explore More:-

Jean Piaget Classified Cognitive Development Theory – Four Stages

The Psychology of Learning: 5 Key Factors Influncing Learning