Intrinsic motivation is the holy grail of learning. Students wholly engaged in mastering knowledge, driven by internal passion to grow - this inspires awe within every teacher. We envision the intrinsically-fueled lifelong learners we hope to cultivate.
However, this ideal often remains elusive and mysteriously beyond external control. As educators, we cannot simply plop motivation into students’ minds. Yet simultaneously, many balk at extrinsic motivators as counterproductive. Doesn’t rewarding behavior risk spoiling students’ innate drive to learn for its own sake?
This common framing - intrinsic vs extrinsic - sets up a false and unproductive dichotomy. External rewards, used judiciously, can scaffold more self-sustained internal motivation over time. Extrinsic reinforcement is not antithetical, but rather sowing seeds to help intrinsic tendencies blossom.
Understanding Motivation
First, what distinguishes intrinsic from extrinsic drivers? Intrinsic influences include inherent satisfaction from the task, affirming identity, satisfying curiosity, purpose-alignment, and sense of competence. Extrinsic reference comes from external sources - rewards, money, evaluations, prizes, consequences or demands.
Critics argue external rewards “corrupt” inherent interest in the task. But, the fact is that our entire educational system runs on an extrinsic reward system: Grades.
We can't have a base of extrinsic motivation, grades, and still claim we don't want to use extrinsic motivation. The reality is that extrinsic motivation has been, and will always be, intertwined with our educational system. So why don't we learn to leverage extrinsic motivation to help learners instead of turning a blind eye to it and pretending it's not there?
For educators, perhaps, the crucial question becomes: How can we optimally leverage both motivational sources, not choose between them? Thoughtfully-aligned extrinsic motivators can pave the way for emerging intrinsic tendencies - not compete against them.
Bridging Present and Future Self
To understand extrinsic scaffolding of internal drive, we must recognize students’ multifaceted temporal perspectives. Their present-focused “self” may lack innate passion for certain topics, while their emerging future-oriented self may one day carry curiosity independently. This gap between present and future intrinsic interest is precisely where external motivators can serve as a temporary bridge. What fuels progress now guides students towards the point where nascent intrinsic rewards can sustain further self-generated growth.
This scaffolding unfolds across three key stages educators must recognize:
The Hook: Priming Intrinsic Rewards
For students lacking initial innate engagement, extrinsic markers first prime the pump - a short-term “hook” capturing preliminary attention and effort while awaiting intrinsic tendencies to wake. These hooks create early external accountability to genuinely participate until inner gratification surfaces.
The Crutch: Bridging Gaps in Innate Drive
Next, extrinsic supports provide a “crutch” sustaining momentum when innate gratification dips. Students lacking continuous inherent drive benefit from planned extrinsic boosters along the way. Artificially propping up participation with rewards and accountability links moments of genuine intrinsic pleasure.
The Spark: Fueling Ownership
Finally, structured external motivators evolve into igniting sparks - fuel that lights students’ growing capacity to direct their own learning pathways. Enough momentum externally propelled begins awakening self-managed curiosity and purpose. Like coaching wheels on a bicycle, external rewards support self-efficacy until intrinsic gratification takes over.
What Rewards Scaffold Best?
Of course, not all extrinsic motivators effectively scaffold intrinsic ownership. Certain external reward structures undermine student autonomy or communicate harmful messages about the learning process itself. As educators, we must consider incentive structures carefully.
Here are four guiding principles for selecting extrinsic motivators that pave the way for emerging internal drive:
1. Variable Reinforcement
Effective extrinsic structures include some variability or uncertainty to compel engagement intrinsically desired. Lottery-based rewards or intermittent encouragement keep anticipation alive while awaiting internal gratification.
2. Non-controlling Language
Rewards verbally framed as informational feedback rather than controlling demands allow intrinsic tendencies space to operate. Language centering choice and self-determination sets the stage for inner purpose to unfold.
3. Value-aligned
Connect external goals and incentives to developing intrinsic values already awakening inside a student - curiosity, belonging, competence, autonomy. This helps bridge today’s extrinsic drivers to tomorrow’s inner motives.
4. Mastery-focused
Finally, focus external motivators on effort and improvement rather than comparative ability or rankings. This mastery-orientation primes kids to pursue progress for its own returns.
Ultimately, mastery is the bridge to intrinsic motivation. People are more likely to want to do what they are good at doing.
An Integrated Ecosystem
Educators innately want to see students intrinsically engaged in learning itself. But pure reliance on intrinsic motivation, especially in a system that runs on the external rewards system known as "grades," risks waiting indefinitely for an awakening that may come later than needed, if ever. Extrinsic supports buy time for inner gratification to mature while academic skills strengthen.
Rather than competing motivational camps, we must thoughtfully intertwine external scaffolds designed for shedding over time as inner purpose and pleasure from mastering skills and knowledge take the driver’s seat. Using extrinsic rewards to unleash, not undermine innate drive means incorporating incentives into this integrated motivation ecosystem.
Via temporary hooks, enduring crutches and final sparks, selected extrinsic motivators pave the pathway for self-sustaining success. So let’s not obscure this vision by decrying that all external rewards somehow taint sacred internal gratification. Scaffolding judiciously applied awakens the joys of learning from within.
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