Extrinsic Rewards and Intrinsic Motivation in Education: Reconsidering Once Again

Summary

Ever since we were young we have been rewarded with anything from gold stars to sleepovers, and researchers now are questioning whether these extrinsic rewards are hurting our children and undermining their intrinsic motivation to learn, or helping them.

In the fall of 1994, Review of Educational Research, Cameron and Pierce researched extrinsic rewards effects on intrinsic motivation, concluding that rewards do not decrease intrinsic motivation. They stated that intrinsic motivation is important for learning. In 1996, three commentaries were published that bashed Cameron and Pierce’s conclusion, stating that it was their research was “flawed and unwarranted.”

According to the Cognitive Evaluation Theory, teachers and parents should consider using verbal rewards first, and then moving to tangible rewards such as pizza parties and gold stars. Early discussions reported that tangible rewards decreased intrinsic motivation, while verbal rewards increased it. The article also discusses that unexpected rewards would help intrinsic motivation, while expected rewards would be detrimental to intrinsic motivation. After further research, their hypothesis was supported. Indeed unexpected rewards will help intrinsic motivation.

This article talked about several research efforts to determine whether or not different types of motivational techniques would hinder student intrinsic motivation or help. In conclusion, tangible rewards are used in classrooms and homes every day; however, research suggests that these types of rewards undermine intrinsic motivation. Instead of focusing on rewards that will motivate our students, we should be giving them choices about certain activities and challenging them more. These ideas will help facilitate intrinsic motivation.

The findings in this article are especially important for school teachers, coaches and parents who deal with children of all ages. Research can teach us a lot about the way we teach our students, and ways to improve our teachings that will allow our students to be motivated and rewarded appropriately.