Student Motivation

Motivation is what drives us to take action. It is an important aspect of learning, and many studies have been undertaken to understand what makes people do things and how teachers, tutors and trainers can get others to act or, in this case, get people to want to learn something. It is important to keep in mind the findings and the results of these studies on motivation, especially when designing an e-learning course. It is important to support and nourish the students’ extrinsic and intrinsic motivation.

Extrinsic Motivation
Learners who are extrinsically motivated are not very concerned about the task in itself and are more focused on the final outcome. Extrinsic motivation is powered by external factors such as reward systems, evaluations, grades and points, receiving other people’s opinions on our work, etc. In a learning environment, being rewarded, receiving feedback, obtaining a grade, receiving positive remarks or feedback from a tutor or even a peer student can be highly motivating for students. For some learners, these external factors can be a kind of drive that encourages them to get to the end of the course and reach the objectives. In a digital learning environment, these external motivational drives can take a variety of forms: badges for those who successfully complete a module, quizzes that give feedback on the progress made, assessments with a grade, receiving a message from tutors or from peers, having one’s comments “liked” on the forum, etc.

Intrinsic Motivation
In the case of intrinsic motivation, students usually act simply because they enjoy the activity in itself. Intrinsic motivation comes from within the student. The student learns simply because they find pleasure and satisfaction in doing so or because they are interested in the topics. The reward is the activity itself. Intrinsic motivation is complex and many theories have been written to explain the concept. One of the most well-known theories on intrinsic motivation is the Self-Determination Theory (SDT)[1], developed by Edward Deci and Richard Ryan in 1975. According to this theory, the human being has three innate psychological needs: 1) the need to feel competent; 2) a need to feel related; 3) a need to feel autonomous.
According to this theory, when people feel competent, autonomous and self-determined, they will look for what interests them. In an academic context, intrinsically motivated learning can only occur when the learners feel they have the freedom to make choices in the process, when the activity is challenging, and when the challenge can be conquered. Whether these conditions are met depends on the person as well as the environment. Every person/learner will have a different perception of the same environment.

The design of the learning environment can have a crucial role. It needs to be a place where students feel safe, the activities need to be challenging, but not overwhelming, in other words, adapted to the level and knowledge of the learners. The students need to be able to make choices and be able to have a certain autonomy in their learning process. They also need to be able to relate and link what is being learnt to the knowledge they already have.
The study underlined also that if students are not interested in a particular learning activity they will not be intrinsically motivated, but external factors such as rewards and grades can fuel their extrinsic motivation. Furthermore, Deci and Ryan do say that external motivations can be internalized. Despite the students’ lack of interest, they can still be self-determined if they can integrate the activity into their sense of self. Even if the students are not interested in the topic, they might, however, see a value in doing the activity because they believe it will help them grow and develop professionally or personally and /or give them a skill that will be useful. In this case, the student will internalize the extrinsic motivation and be willing to follow the course (rather than seeing it as something that is imposed). This is why it is essential to underline the reasons behind the learning activities, why they are important and how they relate to the students’ lives or their professional activities. On the other hand, it is important to well define the prerequisites, so the students following the course have the right knowledge and skills to carry out the tasks. In some cases, it can be useful to have an initial assessment or a questionnaire to make sure the students who are enrolling have the right profile for the course.

[1] Edward L. Deci and Richard M. Ryan. Intrinsic Motivation and Self-Determination in Human Behavior. Plenum Press, 1985 (cit. on p. 57).