Influencing Student Intrinsic Motivation: A Guide for Teachers

Do you hear students asking, “Is this going to be a grade, or why do I have to do this?”  It might be time to rethink factors that can influence student motivation. Research indicates that as students’ grade levels increase, school-related intrinsic motivation decreases strongly, suggesting the need for schools to create a more needs-supportive environment (Ryan & Deci, 2020). Teachers may consider being more strategic in their instructional decision-making when planning lessons.

Understanding Student Motivation: Beyond Traditional Grading

As an instructional coach, teachers frequently ask me how they can motivate students to do their work. Some believe that if student work isn’t graded, students won’t complete it or take it seriously. Yet, as explained by Ryan and Deci’s self-determination theory, this common misconception overlooks critical aspects of student motivation. If assigning and grading more student work is not working, it is time to rethink student motivation. After all, why would a student suddenly start completing work after ten zeros have already been added to the grade book? Adding more zeros to the grade book decreases an already self-perceived incompetent student, causing teachers to be even more frustrated and exhausted.

Self-Determination Theory: A Framework for Motivation 

Self-determination theory (SDT) is a psychological framework for human motivation that emphasizes supporting and maintaining needs for healthy student development. When these needs are met, students are more likely to feel motivated, engaged, and connected in the classroom; when they are unmet, frustration, disengagement, and even resistance can arise (Ryan & Deci, 2020). SDT intensifies three core psychological needs:

1. Autonomy
2. Competence
3. Relatedness

Navigating Student Success Through SDT

Imagine SDT as navigating a modern vessel through the seas of learning. Each component plays a vital role in the journey’s success:

1. Autonomy: Like a ship’s navigation system, it empowers students to chart their course within established parameters. Just as a captain makes informed decisions while respecting maritime regulations, students need meaningful choices in their learning journey while adhering to educational standards.
2. Competence: Picture the ship’s advanced equipment and crew training. Students need proper tools, clear instructions, and ongoing skill development – from collaborative learning opportunities to structured feedback – to ensure they feel capable of mastering new challenges. Like a well-equipped vessel, students perform best when they have the right resources and support to navigate their learning.
3. Relatedness: Envision the ship’s ecosystem – from the bridge to the engine room. Just as crew members must work together in an atmosphere of trust and mutual respect, students thrive in a supportive classroom environment where positive relationships flourish between teachers and peers. This supportive climate, like favorable sailing conditions, creates an optimal environment for learning and growth.

When these three elements work in harmony, they create powerful momentum for learning, just as a well-equipped ship with a skilled crew and supportive environment successfully navigates toward its destination.

Supporting and Fostering Intrinsic Motivation for Students

When these needs are factored into teachers’ decision-making processes, it can significantly increase students’ perceptions of autonomy, competence, and relatedness within the classroom, thereby increasing their intrinsic motivation. Research indicates that students’ three basic psychological needs across age, ethnicity, and culture lead to increased motivation and student wellness while neglecting the student needs causes harm to student wellness.  (Ryan & Deci, 2020). 

So, how can we effectively motivate students to learn? Let’s explore some strategies we can implement to leverage student motivation through the lens of SDT.

1. Autonomy: Fostering Purposeful Student Ownership

Reflective Questions for Autonomy:

1. How do I provide structured, meaningful choices that promote student ownership without overwhelming them?
2. How do I ensure all options and activities maintain grade-level expectations and rigor?
3. Am I mindful of potential decision fatigue, offering choices that are significant but limited to avoid overwhelming students?
4. How responsive am I to student feedback, and how does it shape structured choices and autonomy-supportive strategies in my classroom?
5. Do I balance structure with freedom, allowing students to explore their interests within appropriate boundaries?

2. Competence: Building Students’ Confidence and Skill

Reflective Questions for Competence:

1. How do I consistently provide structured and clear learning goals that challenge students without overwhelming them?
2. Is my feedback constructive, growth-focused, and aimed at helping students feel capable and successful?
3. Where in my lessons do I create specific opportunities for students to experience success?
4. Are my assignments and assessments designed to build skills progressively, and is this reflected in my lesson planning?

3. Relatedness: Cultivating a Sense of Belonging

Reflective Questions for Relatedness:

1. How and when do I establish positive relationships with all my students?
2. What specific actions and words characterize a supportive, inclusive classroom culture?
3. How do I foster a classroom environment that is inclusive and welcoming to students of all backgrounds and abilities?

In conclusion, fostering student motivation through autonomy, competence, and relatedness is essential to building an engaging and inclusive learning environment. Competence, in particular, connects to a range of high-yield instructional strategies—from scaffolding and effective feedback to setting clear expectations—that can be further explored through Learning-Focused’s online professional development courses. Additionally, these strategies, along with approaches for autonomy and relatedness, are complex and benefit greatly from thoughtful planning and in-depth exploration through collaboration among educators. By working together, teachers can share insights, refine practices, and integrate these strategies in ways that amplify their impact, creating a supportive and motivating environment for all students.

How to Motivate Students – Call to Action

To make these shifts sustainable and impactful, consider collaborating regularly with colleagues to exchange ideas, strategies, and reflections on best practices for supporting students’ psychological needs. Whether in team meetings, professional learning communities, or informal discussions, collective efforts can strengthen the reach and consistency of these approaches across classrooms and grade levels. Let’s commit to centering student motivation and well-being within our instructional practices, building a school culture that values academic success and holistic student development.

References

Behzadnia, B. (2021). The relations between students’ causality orientations and teachers’ interpersonal behaviors with students’ basic need satisfaction and frustration, intention to physical activity, and well-being. Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy, 26(6), 613–632. https://doi.org/10.1080/17408989.2020.1849085

Hornstra, L., Stroet, K., Rubie-Davies, C., & Flint, A. (2023). Teacher Expectations and Self-Determination Theory: Considering convergence and divergence of theories. Educational Psychology Review, 35(3). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-023-09788-4

Liu, W. C., Wang, C. K. J., Reeve, J., Kee, Y. H., & Chian, L. K. (2019). What determines teachers’ use of motivational strategies in the classrooms? A Self-Determination Theory perspective. Journal of Education, 200(3), 185–195. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022057419881171

Paulmann, S., & Weinstein, N. (2022). Teachers’ motivational prosody: A pre‐registered experimental test of children’s reactions to tone of voice used by teachers. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 93(2), 437–452. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjep.12567

Reeve, J. (2009). Why teachers adopt a controlling motivating style toward students and how they can become more autonomy supportive. Educational Psychologist, 44(3), 159–175. https://doi.org/10.1080/00461520903028990

Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2020). Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation from a self-determination theory perspective: Definitions, theory, practices, and future directions. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 61, 101860. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2020.101860