We’ve all heard it - students need to be intrinsically motivated to truly excel in education. Internal passion and interest in learning itself is crucial for driving achievement. Extrinsic rewards may actually undermine intrinsic drive over time, the argument goes. Teachers should therefore focus on fueling students’ innate curiosity and sense of purpose. It’s a compelling perspective. But this wholesale dismissal of extrinsic motivators overlooks the elephant in the room:
Grades are extrinsic rewards.
Grades remain the cornerstone of our educational reward structure. Yet paradoxically, extrinsic motivators are often treated as inferior for true learning. But we cannot malign extrinsic rewards while at the same time basing our educational motivation system on the use of them.
What's even more problematic is that when we investigate the idea of intrinsic versus extrinsic rewards, we find a false dichotomy. Any reward given by a teacher to a student is, by definition, extrinsic. We are "extrinsic" to everyone else on earth, including our students. We cannot directly control students’ thoughts or feelings to “make” learning intrinsically rewarding. Therefore, abandoning the development of effective extrinsic rewards because of fear there is something suspect about their extrinsic nature is counterproductive to helping learners.
Even more: As intrinsically motivated any teacher may be to work in a classroom, how long would they persist if the purely extrinsic reward of a paycheck were removed? Why should be expect students to be more purely intrinsically motivated than their teachers?
We can do better.
Instead of spurning extrinsic rewards, let us learn to leverage them to create optimal learning outcomes. Used judiciously, extrinsic rewards can be a pragmatic tool for complementing intrinsic motivations already present.
Intrinsic Versus Extrinsic Motivation
By definition, intrinsic motivations originate within the individual. They include inherent enjoyment of the learning experience itself, satisfaction of curiosity or interest, fulfilling a sense of life purpose, and affirming self-identity. As teachers, we cannot open students’ minds to directly reward these internal states or value systems. And frankly, attempts to do so can easily become inappropriate overreach. However we can acknowledge intrinsic drives already at play, and thoughtfully bolster them.
Understanding and Using Extrinsic Rewards
Rather than eradicating extrinsic rewards from our teaching toolbox, here’s how we can best wield it:
1. Extrinsic Perks Maintain Motivation When Internal Interest Lags
No student, however curious by nature, will sustain intrinsic motivation across every required topic. Extrinsic pick-me-ups help counter frustration when their innate interest lags. An engaging science experiment may spark internal curiosity, while memorizing the Periodic Table relies more on extrinsic test scores to persevere. Doubling down on making uninteresting drills somehow internally rewarding is an uphill battle. Instead, variable motivation sources fill the gaps.
2. Short-Term Extrinsic Goals Set Trajectory for Long-Term Intrinsic Success
Internal desire for lifelong learning won’t materialize overnight. But extrinsic milestones along the way provide tangible indicators of progress. Each solved math problem and improved history paper establishes building blocks for future student success fueled by growing self-efficacy. Gradual intrinsic adoption happens through repeated external markers. Early extrinsic goals should intentionally scaffold more self-actualized outcomes later.
3. Not All Students Arrive Intrinsically Primed for All Subjects
While we hope students independently thirst for knowledge itself, their lived realities differ. Especially among underserved groups, narratives of “school isn’t for people like me” impair inheriting a love of learning for its own sake. Extrinsic incentives can condition alternate mindsets: this work has value and so do I. Over time, enough external validation helps students internalize self-belief absent before. Extrinsic boosters serve as a ladder to ignite muted intrinsic possibility.
A Combination for Achievement
Let’s acknowledge intrinsic drive is crucial for education, but not assume it readily exists for all students across all topics. Extrinsic motivators don’t inherently undermine internal desire. After all, no external agent can directly control someone else’s thoughts or purpose. However, used thoughtfully, supplementary rewards build capacity for students to later carry the intrinsically-lit torch themselves. The ideal combination of both intrinsic AND well-designed extrinsic motivators propels achievement further. So teachers need not eschew extrinsic tools, but rather intentionally build them to allow nascent internal passions to blossom.
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