What is
Extrinsic Motivation
Extrinsic motivation involves completing a task or engaging in an activity in exchange for a reward. People don’t necessarily engage in a specific behavior or activity because they enjoy it, but because they expect to get something in return or avoid an unpleasant consequence. For example, a student may write and submit an essay to an English literature competition not because they enjoy the process of researching and writing, but because they want to win a prize or award.
Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation cannot be confused with one another. Extrinsic motivation plays a crucial role in higher education by driving students to engage in their studies through external incentives such as grades, scholarships, or career prospects. While intrinsic motivation fosters a love for learning, extrinsic factors often provide the initial push needed to sustain effort in challenging academic environments. A study published in Frontiers in Psychology found that external motivators, like feedback and rewards, significantly enhanced student performance and persistence, especially in tasks perceived as difficult or less enjoyable.
Intrinsic vs. extrinsic motivation examples
Intrinsic motivation examples:
Example 1: A student deeply interested in environmental science takes elective courses on climate change, not for credit but to gain a deeper understanding of the topic.
Example 2: A learner spends extra hours in a lab working on experiments out of sheer curiosity and love for research.
Example 3: Participating in classroom discussions or projects to satisfy personal intellectual curiosity or challenge oneself academically.
Extrinsic motivation examples:
Example 1: A student works hard to achieve high grades to qualify for a prestigious scholarship.
Example 2: Completing assignments on time to avoid penalties or earn participation points.
Example 3: Taking a course solely because it is required for graduation or a specific career path, even if the topic is not personally interesting.
Extrinsic motivation is a type of reward-driven behavior. Praise, money or other incentives directly influence one’s motivation to complete an activity. Extrinsic motivation is contrasted with intrinsic motivation, where people engage in a behavior for its own sake. Scholars have suggested that extrinsic motivators in education such as grades, report cards or prizes and badges may reduce any intrinsic motivation that students might have. People who are intrinsically motivated seek out optimally challenging tasks as these are most interesting to them and promote development.