Intrinsic vs. Extrinsic learning motivation
Students come from a variety of backgrounds. They have distinct life experiences, educational levels, and motivations for learning. With so much variation among students enrolled in a course, how can educators effectively reach everyone? The first stage is to comprehend the students’ motives, whether intrinsic or extrinsic, as well as the degree of knowledge with which they begin the course.
Intrinsically motivated students
Students who are intrinsically motivated are self-motivated. They may be interested in the topic because they are curious. These students want to hear your anecdotes and participate in activities, as well as learn the background stories and context of the material. These students are frequently enthusiastic, and their enthusiasm can help motivate other students to become more enthusiastic about the material as well.
Intrinsically motivated students may be interested in enrolling in the course in order to gain particular knowledge for a future goal. Learning to code to make a video game or learning a language before a big vacation are two examples of this. These educators aren’t concerned with context or backstory; they simply want to understand the material or skill.
They value the time to work thru the material or troubles on their own without too much guidance as motivated learners, preferring a trial-and-error learning style. Fortunately, engaging both types of intrinsically motivated learners is generally quite simple.
Extrinsically motivated students
This gets us to kids who are intrinsically driven. Instead of being driven to understand the curriculum, some students are enrolled in the course for other reasons. The most typical reason for these students to enrol in a course is because it is a prerequisite for a bigger goal or viewpoint, generally toward a degree or necessary training for a career.
Students react to this scenario in a variety of ways. Some people like to study what they need to know and then move on. These kids are not interested in context or stories. They are often satisfied with a list of what they need to know. They are usually motivated purely by the grade or the completion of the course in general.
Some externally motivated students may face issues beyond just staying motivated. A student who believes they already know the subject and do not need to take the course is an example. These students may have substantial understanding of the topic and will be unwilling to study “beginning” material or listen to background tales or anecdotes.
While keeping these kids motivated might be difficult, they are extremely adept at catching up on the intricacies of the content, which can be a wonderful asset. Another more challenging form of externally motivated learner is one who learned the material a long time ago and wants to refresh her memory.
Students may believe that there is nothing to learn and must be persuaded that the course is valuable. These pupils flourish when given time to reconcile the discrepancies between their existing knowledge and the new information delivered to them.
It may seem evident by now that keeping extrinsically motivated learners engaged with the topic might be more challenging. There are, however, measures to assist improve this. The greatest initial step is to assist pupils in discovering intrinsic drive. Try to assist them in determining whether or not the stuff they will study has a real-world applicability.
To develop greater interest in the issue, use examples that are relevant to the students’ experiences. Students should be challenged to explain how this topic may benefit them.
Student knowledge levels and learning motivation
Students in a course should ostensibly have the same level of expertise. However, since your course will include students with varying goals, you will also have students with varying levels of prior knowledge. Students at various stages logically need different things from an instructor. Students with little prior knowledge need more coaching, effective introductions to new subject, and some early “easy wins” in class exercises to pique their attention. More advanced students will desire more autonomy, complex content, and answers to more precise, higher-level queries.
While it may seem tough to satisfy all of these different sorts and levels of pupils, there are various strategies to do it. First, not all aspects of the learning process must be mandatory for all pupils. Consider which portions may be done alone or optionally rather than during active class time. This enables higher level students and students with a set agenda for what they need to study to skip through sections that will be of little help to them.
Second, figure out how to make lower-level background information more available without making it cumbersome. In an e-learning setting, for example, if a reading contains terminology or ideas that lower-level students may require clarification on, make those definitions accessible by hovering over the phrase rather than writing it all out in the reading.
Third, provide chances for high-level, genuinely driven students to assist their classmates with the curriculum. These students may have relevant experiences or tales that other students might benefit from.
Teaching pupils at various levels and with varying objectives may seem to be a difficult endeavour, but it is doable if addressed intelligently. You may accommodate as many of your pupils as feasible during the course by taking their levels and goals into account.