Unit 4 Beyond stickers and empty praise

There are few educational debates as lively as extrinsic vs intrinsic motivation. If you subscribe to Skinner's theory it is our nature to be conditioned to have a stimuli-response behaviour. If we give our students rewards they will accomplish the task. Alfie Kohn on the other hand maintains that this doesn't work and that we need to create a safe environment for learners where they take risks and learn from mistakes, rather than using coercive strategies (like reinforcement) to help them meet their goals. It is hard to argue with that theory, as learners do learn best when they are in a safe and supportive learning environment, but is that enough?

I think, like most theories, the truth lies somewhere in between. Many of our students are motivated to achieve a goal and it can often have high emotion tied to it such as getting a professional job, providing for their family, or attaining a degree. Sometimes their investment in learning is not  about obtaining knowledge and a new set of skills, they have a need to be part of a community, to fit in with those around them and this drives them to succeed in class. (Brown, p. 101) Both of these situations have a strong link to intrinsic motivation. Tied in with that though is the belief that positive feedback that learners perceive as a boost to their feelings of competence and self-determination has an effect on intrinsic motivation. (Dornyei, 2009) Who doesn't get an inner glow when our teacher recognizes our efforts and growth? The key to tying that positive reinforcement into intrinsic motivation is  providing genuine positive and prescriptive feedback, based on the performance of our students. Even though we may be motivated to complete a task or learn a new language, it always inspires us to push forward, when we receive validation for our efforts and accomplishments. In fact isn't it true that in our darkest hours, when our goals seem insurmountable we reach back for those moments to inspire us to keep going?

Intrinsic vs extrinsic motivation