Can intrinsic motivation be taught?
As an instructor we want all of our students to get the material and to be a success in this endeavor. The best way for an individual to be involved in their learning is to be motivation from within, but can intrinsic motivation be taught, or is it something instilled or innately within us. I believe both. This kind of motivation is within all of us but it needs to be encouraged and nurtured. We as instructors are in a unique position to turn this "on" in an individual or suppress it. I believe this is a great power and with great power comes great responsibility. Many successes have been attributed to necessity, a necessity to adapt to changing conditions to interrupt the status quo just to get an individual to participate in their own success. I do believe intrinsic motivation can be taught and it is a power and responsibility that we as instructors need to take caution with and take as seriously as our own personal well being.
Wayne, well stated and even more specifically it is good to discuss how your topic can impact the total earning potential for the student once they begin their career. Share some case studies if they are available.
James Jackson
As instructors we have the responsibility to help students learn WHY the subject we’re teaching is important. Students aren’t always excited about every course they take, so it’s our job to make them not only understand course material but also to understand why it’s important. Once they understand why it’s important they will have the internal motivation to do well in your class.
Shannon, what steps do you take to orient your students to "how the program is ran"? The more students know about why the structure of the program exists they have a better chance to buy-in to the approach and format of the program. Thanks for anything you can share.
James Jackson
I agree that intrinsic motivation can be taught, and not every student enters class with this. In the program I teach most students enter without knowing exactly how the program is ran, which is why extrinsic motivators are in place to keep them excited and interested. Once they see the value in what they are learning, and know it is information that will be used in the work place their attitude toward the information changes. I can see when they are motivated to learn more in depth about the program.
Desiree, what conversations have you engaged with your students to get their feedback on what they consider motivating? I would also encourage you to reach out to other instructors and find out what they are doing with similiar or the same subjects. The LOUNGE is a great place to do this level of research. There are not costs and the instructors that provide responses are very open and sharing. Please let me know if I can be of any assistance to you.
James Jackson
After working with my students for many months, there are those that are definitely intrinsically motivated and those that aren't. The extrinsic motivators seem to help "for a time" with the students who are not motivated intrinsically. In our coursework they are tested continually in order to pass on to their next class. And more often than not, their tests are fails as opposed to passes. This becomes very defeating to them. Their intrinsic motivation ebbs and flows it seems. I wish I knew of a way to make it motivating for them!
Dallan, students will follow and emulate the instructors they respect and feel are good role models. This can be both positive or negative so this is why it is critical that we as instructors model the behaviors we want our students to follow. We have a great deal of influence and need to lead by examples.
James Jackson
william, there are two critical mindsets we as instructors must always demonstrate and discuss with our students: the importance of being scholarly and professionalism. These are critical traits that will show in any interview and can only be mastered through continual practice and discussion.
James Jackson
Sometimes the positive feedback from an instructor on their work may start out as extrinsic, but may spark intrinsic motivation.
I'm not sure I'm able to 'teach' instrinsic motivation so much as 'show' and 'reveal' to students the ways they are intrinsically motivated and encourage them to find ways to apply the same mindset to learning.
From my perspective, I've seen my own personal intrinsic motivation "rub off" on some students. I'm not sure if I "taught" them necessarily, but I do believe they've been inspired to seek out what makes a certain topic or idea so important to me. In turn, they "find" their intrinsic motivation. Maybe it was simply dormant at that time. I'd like to believe that everyone has a large quantity of internal drive that they can draw from.
I also believe that intrinsic motivation can be taught. Most students want to do well; want to get the most out of their classes.
david, well stated. Another related concept comes from Dr. Joe Pace from The Pacific Institute his years of research on student success and Higher Education. The teacher will appear when the student is ready which implies that we as instructors need to always be ready to take maximum advantage of these teachable moments when students come to us with questions and are eager to learn. We also need to learn from our students and become familiar with ways to maximize the teachable moments when possible.
James Jackson
