Why is intrinsic motivation our goal?

There are several levels on which we could address this question. At the most basic level, it's more fun to spend time learning about something if you are curious and inquisitive, and it is likely to lead to better retention and understanding of a topic. (Of course, we can't expect anyone to be inherently interested in every topic, personally there are just some things that I don't find interesting at all. But let's postpone discussion of that point to a later post.) At this stage in my life, this seems obvious and intuitive (I would never have made it this far in graduate school if it didn't) but I don't think it's something I was conscious of as a freshman, or even as a senior, in college.

From a teacher's perspective, it is much easier to engage students who are intrinsically motivated, although they may pose more challenging questions and issues. I also find more immediate rewards from interacting with motivated students, there is more bi-directional communication which I find reassuring. There may be some inherent danger in this feeling, and I think it's the teacher's responsibility to teach to all the students in the class, not just those who are self-motivated (more on this later).

On a grander level, I think intrinsic motivation is a life skill. I believe that a healthy, enjoyable, well-balanced life involves seeking out new challenges and exploring and learning. We have all probably experienced the personal satisfaction that results from finding answers to a question that you are curious about. In my own experience, this often leads to higer self-confidence, which then frees me to follow my curiosity about the next interesting thing I encounter.

Motivation defined

I thought I'd start by comparing and contrasting internal and external motivation. To be internally (intrinsically) motivated is to be driven to do an activity for the inherent satisfaction of the activity itself. This is in contrast with being externally (extrinsically) motivated, or driven to do an activity in order to attain some separate outcome or reward. There are some subtleties within this dichotomy that are worth considering. For example, students who study because they are interested in the material are intrinsically motivated, but students who study to get a good grade on an exam as well as students who study because they understand the future payoff for their career are both extrinsically motivated. Both of these latter examples involve external motivators beyond the inherent joy of learning the material, however the last example involves a feeling of choice and personal investment rather than just complying with an external judgment.

Background: Why this blog?

I'm a graduate student in biological sciences and I just finished an intensive, three-day seminar on college teaching. We covered a huge amount of information in a short time, and it was very productive, but due to time constraints we did not get a chance to discuss some of the topics in depth. This blog is an attempt to expand my (and hopefully your) thoughts on ways to increase student motivation, in particular to help students transition from being externally motivated (by grades, fear of failing, etc.) to being internally motivated (curious and engaged out of self-interest).

I hope you'll share your thoughts. Thanks for visiting my blog!