## Key Ideas > [!abstract] Core Concepts > > - **Learning leads to motivation, not vice versa**: Success and competence drive motivation rather than engaging activities creating learning > - **Achievement predicts motivation**: Research shows good performance has positive effect on intrinsic motivation, but motivation doesn't lead to better performance > - **Cost-benefit analysis**: Increase benefits through success and self-attribution while decreasing costs through clarity and support ## Definition **Motivation**: Students' willingness to engage in learning activities, driven primarily by feelings of competence and success rather than external engagement strategies. ## Connected To [[Struggle]] | [[Explicit Teaching]] | [[Activity-Based Curriculum]] | [[Fluency]] | [[Scaffolding]] --- ## The motivation-learning relationship Research shows that learning precedes motivation rather than the reverse (Garon-Carrier et al., 2016). When students experience success, it supports continued motivation. Evidence challenges the assumption that motivation must precede learning. Australia's declining participation in higher-level senior mathematics relates to this relationship (Watt et al., 2012). Research indicates that success through effective teaching supports lasting motivation more than engagement strategies alone. ## Theoretical framework: Self-determination theory Ryan & Deci (2017) identify three psychological needs for intrinsic motivation. **Competence**, the feeling of being skilled and effective, is the most important for academic motivation. **Autonomy** refers to feeling in control of activities, though this means perceived autonomy rather than actual choice. **Relatedness** involves feeling connected and belonging to a learning community. ## Research evidence Garon-Carrier et al. (2016) conducted a longitudinal study of primary school children and found that achievement predicted intrinsic motivation, but intrinsic motivation did not predict achievement. Good mathematics performance increases intrinsic motivation for mathematics, but motivation for mathematics does not lead to better performance. This applies to both boys and girls. ## Practical framework: cost-benefit analysis Motivation can be understood as benefits divided by costs. Teachers can increase student motivation by increasing the benefits of engagement while decreasing the costs. ### Increasing benefits Success is the biggest determiner of motivation. Effective teaching that ensures student success boosts motivation. Teachers should help students view success as part of their identity rather than an isolated occurrence. Beyond experiencing success, students benefit from attributing their achievements to their own efforts (Dweck, 2006). Commenting on effort rather than just outcomes helps students build connections between their work and results. Teachers should explain the benefits of tasks, such as how practice makes learning stick, and reinforce these value propositions. Consistent follow-up matters: checking homework and addressing non-completion signals that the work has value. Establishing norms increases perceived benefits. Speaking as if desired behaviour is already the norm (Cialdini & Trost, 1998), referencing previous successful students, and using collective language like "In our class, we..." all contribute to this effect. Acknowledging positive behaviours encourages their repetition. ### Decreasing costs Reduce the perceived costs of engagement through clarity and support. Specify exactly what needs to be done, provide models, checklists, and examples, and remove ambiguity. Tasks should have accessible entry points that start with easy steps. [[Scaffolding|Scaffolding]] questions similar to worked examples creates early success experiences. Building automaticity through practice makes tasks feel less effortful. Practising routines until automatic, developing [[Fluency|fluency]] in multiplication facts, and reducing cognitive load through automation all decrease the effort required. The emphasis should be on ensuring students experience success (Bandura, 1997) rather than embracing struggle. Students are more willing to expend effort when they believe it will pay off, whereas [[Struggle|excessive struggle]] leads to frustration that increases perceived costs. ## Common misconceptions Three myths undermine effective motivation strategies. The first holds that engaging activities create motivation. Extrinsic motivation from inspirational teachers or [[Activity-Based Curriculum|engaging activities]] provides only short-term benefits (Deci et al., 2001). The engagement fades when the novelty ends. The second myth reverses the causal direction, claiming that motivation leads to learning. The reverse is true: competence and success create lasting intrinsic motivation. Teachers cannot motivate their way to learning; they must teach their way to motivation. The third misconception suggests that students need autonomy in the form of choice over curriculum or methods. Students need perceived autonomy, not actual choice. The feeling of control matters more than actual decision-making power, which students often lack the expertise to exercise wisely. ## Implementation strategies Language choices communicate norms and expectations. Statements like "Homework is always done in this class" or "My Year 12s took this advice seriously and it helped them" establish achievement as the expected standard. Acknowledging students who are ready to learn, such as "Wendy has her book out and is ready to learn", reinforces desired behaviours. Daily practice should use [[Explicit Teaching]] to ensure success rather than discovery-based struggles. Celebrate effort and improvement, not just final results. Create systems where success builds on success. ## Implications for teaching Teachers should focus on competence-building through effective instruction rather than entertainment. Making success visible and helping students attribute it to their efforts builds intrinsic motivation. Reducing barriers to engagement through clear expectations and support decreases the costs that discourage effort. Building norms where academic effort and success are expected increases the benefits students perceive from engagement. ## Intelligence and growth mindset Intelligence can be improved through appropriate instruction and sustained effort (Willingham, 2009). The belief that intelligence is fixed undermines motivation and achievement. Students who believe intelligence cannot change avoid challenges, give up easily when facing difficulty, see effort as pointless, ignore useful feedback, and feel threatened by others' success. Students who believe intelligence can be developed through effort embrace challenges, persist when facing difficulty, see effort as the path to mastery, learn from feedback and criticism, and find inspiration in others' success. These mindsets influence behaviour and outcomes. Teachers can promote growth mindsets by praising effort and strategies rather than inherent ability, framing mistakes as learning opportunities rather than failures, teaching explicitly that the brain changes through practice, providing challenging work that requires genuine effort, and demonstrating that improvement comes from sustained practice rather than talent. However, mindset alone does not produce learning. Students need effective instruction and opportunities to succeed through well-designed teaching, not just encouragement to believe they can improve. ## References Bandura, A. (1997). *Self-efficacy: The exercise of control*. W.H. Freeman. Cialdini, R. B., & Trost, M. R. (1998). Social influence: Social norms, conformity, and compliance. In D. T. Gilbert, S. T. Fiske, & G. Lindzey (Eds.), *The handbook of social psychology* (4th ed., Vol. 2, pp. 151-192). McGraw-Hill. Deci, E. L., Koestner, R., & Ryan, R. M. (2001). Extrinsic rewards and intrinsic motivation in education: Reconsidered once again. *Review of Educational Research*, 71(1), 1-27. https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543071001001 Dweck, C. S. (2006). *Mindset: The new psychology of success*. Random House. Garon-Carrier, G., Boivin, M., Guay, F., Kovas, Y., Dionne, G., Lemelin, J. P., Séguin, J. R., Vitaro, F., & Tremblay, R. E. (2016). Intrinsic motivation and achievement in mathematics in elementary school: A longitudinal investigation of their association. *Child Development*, 87(1), 165-175. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.12458 Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2017). *Self-determination theory: Basic psychological needs in motivation, development, and wellness*. Guilford Press. Watt, H. M. G., Shapka, J. D., Morris, Z. A., Durik, A. M., Keating, D. P., & Eccles, J. S. (2012). Gendered motivational processes affecting high school mathematics participation, educational aspirations, and career plans: A comparison of samples from Australia, Canada, and the United States. *Developmental Psychology*, 48(6), 1594-1611. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0027838 Willingham, D. T. (2009). *Why don't students like school? A cognitive scientist answers questions about how the mind works and what it means for the classroom*. Jossey-Bass.