Intrinsic Versus Extrinsic: How We Motivate Lifelong Learning

By Tom Sellevaag, Upper Grades Head

“The reward of a thing well done is to have done it.”

This quote, widely attributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson, has been important to me for as long as I can remember. It hung on the wall in the kitchen of my childhood home, and it was frequently offered up as a reminder when I was getting stuck on the question “What’s in it for me?”, as well as a source of encouragement when I felt I didn’t get sufficient credit for an achievement. Over time, however, I’ve come to think about this quote in a different way. The interesting aspect has become not so much the “doing” or the reward that was or was not earned, but rather the conditions that lead one to do the “thing well done” in the first place. If it’s true that the doing is itself the reward, then it seems to me that the thing one is doing must be intrinsically motivating. 

One simple definition of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation is as follows:

Intrinsic motivation describes the undertaking of an activity for its inherent satisfaction, while extrinsic motivation describes behavior driven by external rewards or punishments.

Intrinsic motivation comes from within the individual, while extrinsic motivation comes from outside the individual.

It would be easy to say that intrinsic motivation is good and extrinsic motivation is bad. That intrinsic motivation is pure and extrinsic motivation is selfish or simply pragmatic. That intrinsic motivation is the ideal and extrinsic motivation is the best we can do. However, each of these statements reflects a binary view of motivation that is both simplistic and unhelpful.

Take this blog post, for instance. I enjoy writing. I find it rewarding to think through my thoughts, commit them to a document, and gradually refine them. I even enjoy going back to reread them later, silently high-fiving myself for effective turns of phrase and shaking my head at arguments that seem weak in retrospect. Although I appreciate you being here and will be happy if you find something I say interesting or thought-provoking, I’d honestly enjoy writing it all the same if nobody reads it. Like playing music and taking photos, writing is an intrinsically motivating activity for me.

Yet, that wasn’t enough to get me to sit down and start working on this piece. I needed a deadline, as well as the knowledge that when (not “if”, I’m sorry to admit) I didn’t meet it, I’d be letting down my colleagues who produce this newsletter and shirking my professional responsibilities. Furthermore, as I wrote, I needed the reminder of my audience’s expectations to ensure I stayed on track and drafted something that would resonate with the community. And, if someone mentions that they read my piece and enjoyed it, of course, I’ll be flattered. Extrinsic motivation exists side-by-side with intrinsic motivation and can help reinforce and channel one’s energy for an activity that is intrinsically motivating.

Much has been written on this subject, and if you’re intrinsically motivated to do so, you might check out the work of Stanford University's Mark Lepper, including this paper that highlights both the decrease in intrinsic motivation as students age and the lack of strong correlation between extrinsic and intrinsic motivation. Lepper is well-known for articulating the overjustification effect, which posits that the presence of extrinsic rewards leads to a decrease in intrinsic motivation over time, particularly when the reward is withdrawn. For a different perspective, this report discusses how the proper type and timing of extrinsic rewards can actually increase intrinsic motivation. The context of this latter study—monetary rewards in a workplace—is obviously not the same as that of a middle school, but the underlying principle is relevant.

At the risk of oversimplifying a complex topic, my takeaway is that both extrinsic and intrinsic motivation ought to be part of the conversation in schools. Here at Capitol Hill Day School, the intrinsic bit is easier to describe: we want our students to enjoy the process of learning, not just the product. We want them to discover the subjects that spark their interest and have the ability to delve deeply into chosen topics. We want them to reflect on their progress and take satisfaction in having done something well and grown their skills. The extrinsic motivation is trickier to navigate. We give students a variety of tasks, and we want them to perform to their potential. We have short-answer assignments and multi-paragraph essays, end-of-unit projects that are viewed by classmates and families, quizzes and tests. These tasks of school are important extrinsic motivators. Letter grades, which we limit to the 7/8 Cohort, are perhaps the ultimate extrinsic motivator. Society loves A’s, and most students will work very hard—sometimes to their detriment—to earn good grades. For 8th Graders, the high school application process, and standardized testing requirements that typically accompany it, are a source of extrinsic motivation that can be both exciting and nerve-wracking. 

Like many of you, I am distressed by the long shadow that letter grades cast over students’ academic life, and I know that the high school application process can take up a lot of mental space. The extrinsic factors are extreme and can easily crowd out the intrinsic motivation that ought to be at the core of education. But it is possible to achieve a sort of balance that holds up in our results-oriented culture. The key is to make sure that, as much as we can, the extrinsic factors we utilize are consistent with our School’s mission and are delivered in what the aforementioned report calls an “autonomy-supporting way,” meaning they recognize the student’s competence and reinforce their ability to have control over their life. 

One solution is to design policies and practices for letter grades that reinforce values and practices that have been fundamental to the Capitol Hill Day School’s approach long before students arrive in 7th Grade. In Math, students can earn back points on homework and quizzes by demonstrating the ability to revise their work. In Humanities, grading subcategories are weighted such that poor performance on a single large assignment can be partially offset by consistent, day-to-day class engagement and performance. In Science, assignments are classified as “process grades” and “product grades,” with different assessment criteria and scoring practices to fit when students are being judged on different types and degrees of understanding.

Another important strategy is to continue reminding all of our students about what truly matters. When you attend demonstrations of learning at school or look over a teacher’s comments on their completed work at home, ask meaningful questions: “What have you learned? What have you enjoyed? How has your thinking changed or your skill grown as a result of this work?”  Your interest and your substantive questioning serve as extrinsic motivation while also reinforcing your students’ sense of competence and satisfaction in completing a task, thus fostering their intrinsic motivation. Resist the temptation to simply ask “How did you do?” or focus on the number of times the “C/Consistently” mark appears on a progress report rubric. Try not to perpetuate the messaging that I hear all too often: “7th Grade is the first year that your school performance matters, because that’s when you get grades that go on your high school transcript.” 

An emphasis on intrinsic motivation coupled with carefully-deployed extrinsic motivation is both idealistic and pragmatic and allows us to help students of all types internalize the knowledge, skills, and habits that foster meaningful lifelong learning.