Impact of Extrinsic and Intrinsic Motivation Training on

Students‟ Performance at Secondary Level

By:
UMAR FAROOQ
AKBAR
TO
Supervisor:
Mr. SHOZAB RAZA
ABBASI

Thesis submitted in partial

Fulfillment of the requirements for the
Degree of
Bachelors of Education

United College Layyah

Affiliated with
University of Education Lahore
1
 DECLARATION

This thesis is being submitted to the University of Education, Lahore to meet

the partial requirements for the degree of B. ED (1.5 years). To the best of my
knowledge, the work and results presented in this thesis are original and
submitted for the award of B.Ed. degree.

Sig.

2
 CERTIFICATION

This is to certify that UMAR FAROOQ AKBAR enrolled as

bef2000429 has
successfully defended her research work on the Title “impact of extrinsic
and intrinsic motivation training on students’ performance at secondary
level “As we know the work and results presented in this thesis are original
and submitted for the award of B.Ed. degree. The thesis is accepted in its
present form by the Department of Education and Research, University of
Education, Pakistan as satisfying the requirements for the degree of B.Ed.

Supervisor:

MR.SHOZAB RAZA Sig.

External Examiner: Sig.

Chairman: Sig.

3
 DEDICATION
To my most loving and kind parents
Whose prayers are the assets of my life and these prayers served as a
guideline and prop during every difficult moment of my life and made me
a humble slave of Almighty Allah.

Also dedicated

To
My

Brothers
And
sisters.

4
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

All the acclamations and appreciations are for Allah Almighty, the kind and
merciful and all blessings for the Holy Prophet (PBUH), who is forever a
torch of guidance and knowledge for humanity as a whole.

The researcher‟s wishing to thank all the teachers who were more than
generous with their expertise and precious time.

A special thanks to the supervisor Mr.Shozab Raza Abbasi for his countless
hours of reflecting, reading, encouraging, and most of all patience
throughout the entire process. Finally, researcher would like to thank to
his parents, his
brother and his sisters, their love gave forces to make this work. Their
excitement and willingness to provide feedback made the completion of
this
research an enjoyable experience.

UMAR FAROOQ AKBAR

5
 ABSTRACT

The purpose of this research study was to determine what happens when intrinsically
motivating strategies and an extrinsic reward program are implemented in a fifth-grade
inclusion classroom. The intrinsic strategies of enthusiasm, incorporating student choice into
the lessons, and cooperative learning groups were used to help teach students during their
literacy block. Additionally, an extrinsic reward program was put into effect once the three
strategies had already been conducted. Qualitative inquiry strategies such as student
motivation surveys, teacher observation checklists, focus group discussions, student written
feedback, and observations recorded in my own teacher research journal, were all used to
facilitate collecting information and data. Upon categorizing the data and searching for main
ideas, the factors that most affected data in this study were related to teacher enthusiasm,
student engagement, collaborative learning groups, and an extrinsic reward system
incorporating options for students.

Keywords: Extrinsic and intrinsic motivation, academic performance, mathematic

6
 Contents:

LIST OF TABLE..........................................................................................................9

ABSTRACT..................................................................................................................6

CHAPTER 1................................................................................................................10

1. INTRODUCTION...................................................................................................10

Objectives of Study.............................................................................................................14

Purpose of study..................................................................................................................14

Research hypotheses............................................................................................................15

CHAPTER 2................................................................................................................16

2.1 LITERATURE REVIEW…....................................................................................16

CHAPTER 3.................................................................................................................25

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY.........................................................................................25

Procedure of Study..............................................................................................................26

Data Sources........................................................................................................................29

Data Analysis…...................................................................................................................30

CHAPTER 4................................................................................................................34

4.1 RESULTS...............................................................................................................34

CHAPTER 5................................................................................................................38

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5.1 DISCUSSION..........................................................................................................38

CHAPTER 6.................................................................................................................51

6.1 CONCLUSION AND FUTURE RECOMMENDATIONS....................................51

REFERANCES............................................................................................................54

8
 LIST OF TABLE

Sr.NO Title Page

No
1 Level of Students‟ Overall Academic Intrinsic Motivation 34

2 Level of Students‟ Academic Intrinsic Motivation in terms of 35

Mastery Orientation

3 Correlation between Motivation and Academic Performance 36

4 t- test Gender Difference on Academic Motivation and 36

Academic Performance

9
 Chapter: 1

The Problems and its Background

INTRODUCTION
Globally, there has been an increasing concern in the education sector on how to ensure that
students learn optimally at school and achieve academic excellence in their academic
pursuit. In Nigeria, there has been a nationwide cry on the fallen standards of education and
poor performance of pupils in mathematics. Various factors have been identified for poor
academic achievement among students and these include poor study habit, laziness,
ineffective classroom instructions, and inadequate provision of instructional material and
lack of motivation (Akpan, 2000).
Motivating students to learn in school is a topic of great concern for educationist today and
motivating students so that they can succeed in school is one of the greatest challenges of
this century (Aswan, Noreen & Naas, 2011). Getting students to learn and sustaining their
interest in what they are learning therefore should be the sole objective of teachers in the
classroom. Motivation is a significantly important factor for academic learning and
achievement (Elliot & Decks, 2005). Modula (2010) observes that motivation is one of the
factors that contribute to academic success; that parents and educators should strive to
understand the importance of promoting and encouraging academic motivation early in life.
Feldman (2005) refers to motivation as factors that direct and energize the behavior of
humans and other organisms, while Wood (2002) sees motivation as a process that initiates,
directs, and sustains behaviors to satisfy physiological or psychological needs. Motivation is
also seen as what gets one going, keeps one going, and determines where one is going
(Slain, 2006). According to Self-determination theory (Ryan & Deli, 2000) there are two
types of motivation i.e. extrinsic motivation and intrinsic motivation.
Intrinsic motivation is an inner force that motivates students to engage in academic

10
activities, because they are interested in learning and they enjoy the learning process as well
(Scheele, 1991). Harter (1978) explained that intrinsic motivation is the true drive in human
nature, which drives individuals to search for and to face new challenges. Their abilities are
put to the test and they are eager to learn even when there are no external rewards to be
won. Students with learning goals of seeking understanding for mastery of science
content and skills are said to be intrinsically motivated (Cavalla, Roman, Blind ken staff,
& Walker, 2003).
Chic seen mealy and Nakamura (1989) stated that intrinsically motivated individuals
possess the following characteristics: They engage in both mental and physical activities
holistically, they remain highly focused throughout these activities with clearly defined
goals, they are self-critical, they self-reflect on their own actions realistically, and they are
usually relaxed and not afraid to fail during learning. A research study done by Stipe (1988)
concluded that intrinsically motivated students learn independently and always choose to do
challenging tasks. They persevere to complete the tasks they have undertaken. They
integrate the knowledge acquired in school with their experiences gained from outside
school. They often ask questions to broaden their knowledge and learn regardless of any
external push factors or help from teachers, and they take pride in their work and express
positive emotions during the learning process. Highly intrinsically motivated students are
able to learn new concepts successfully and show better understanding of the subject matter
(Stipe, 1988).Unlike intrinsic motivation; extrinsic motivation drives students to engage in
academic tasks for external reasons.
Extrinsic motivators include parental expectations, expectations of other trusted role models,
earning potential to enroll in a course later and good grades. According to Belabor and Tirol
(2003), extrinsic motivation promotes effort and performance with rewards serving as
positive reinforces for the desired behavior. Extrinsic motivation typically produces
immediate results and requires less effort in comparison to intrinsic motivation (Ryan &
Deli, 2000). The down side of it is that extrinsic motivators can often distract students from
true independent learning. Another problem with extrinsic motivators is that they typically
do not work over the long term. Once, the rewards are removed, students lose their
motivation (DeLong & Winter, 2002). As extrinsically motivated, students tend to focus on
earning higher grades and obtaining rewards, Boehlert and Snowman (1990) believed that

11
extrinsic motivational factors can diminish students‟ intrinsic motivation. Such observation
has also been reported by Bain (2004) who
Concluded that extrinsic rewards have negative impacts on intrinsic motivation. Gender
differences in the motivation to learn science has attracted much attention during the last
decade (Ecclesia & Bluefield, 1985; Greene & DE Backer, 2004; Greenfield, 1998; Morrell
& Lederman, 1998).
Evidence accumulated thus far on gender differences in motivation is inconclusive. While
many studies ( Alderman & Alderman, 1999; Aube, 2010; Lai, Chan, & Wong, 2006;
Meese & Holt, 1993) reported that there are gender differences in extrinsic and intrinsic
motivation between male and female students, studies by Russell and Arias (2004) and
Glynn et al. (2009) reported otherwise. Whereas on academic performance Scheele, Krupp,
and Winterer (1992) strongly suggests that, “male students‟ performance accords their
interest level more than is the case for female students”. In particular, “female students‟
academic performance is less associated with their interests than male students‟ academic
performance” (Scheele, Krupp, & Winterer, 1992).
Numerous studies suggested that from childhood through adolescence, across varied
populations, those with higher academic intrinsic motivation have been found to be more
competent in school, generally evidencing significantly greater academic achievement,
more positive perceptions of their academic competency, lower academic anxiety, and less
extrinsic motivation (Gottfried, A.W., Gottfried, Cook, & Morris, 2005). Johnson (1996),
Broussard and Garrison (2004), Skaldic and Skaldic (2006), and Sandra (2002) found
significant relationship between academic performance and motivation. Similarly, Johnson
(1996) found that academic achievement is highly correlated with student‟s motivation.
However, Bank and Finlayson (1980) found that successful students were found to have
significantly higher motivation for achievement than unsuccessful students did.

What individuals do without any type of external incentives is called intrinsic motivation.
Such actions are done by the individual for fun and enjoyment rather than for external
rewards and gifts. From birth all individuals are active, playful, and inquiring. They do not
need external incentives to do such actions. The experimental studies done on animal
behavior found the existence of intrinsic motivation. When the researchers found many
animals showing spontaneous and playful activities without rewards or incentives for them to

12
do the actions(Ryan & Deli, 2000). Students with positive level of intrinsic motivation may
show better results and higher level of satisfaction (Aube, 2010). The literature recommends
that students should be intrinsically motivated in order to make progress in their academic
career. For most of the actions individuals are not intrinsically motivated and this arise the
need for some reward and external motives. Thus extrinsic motivation is related to the action
that is done to get some rewards (Coetzee, 2011).

The students who are extrinsically motivated determine the standards of their performance
according to social norms and customs and hence they are normally more social and friendly.
These tendencies of externally motivated students can be used by the teachers to make the
academic performance of the students better and effective (Coetzee, 2011). Motivation is
stated as having no motivation. . It simply means the students who are neither intrinsically
motivated nor extrinsically (Coetzee, 2011). These students have negative concepts about
learning process and their contribution in learning is normally very low(Ayub,2010).
Many psychologists have presented theories of motivation. These are categorized as content
theories and process theories. Content theories are concerned with the instincts that
motivate people to do some work (Terabit & Balkan, 2015).

These theories assume that all the individuals have the similar needs and these needs motivate
them for actions or to fulfill the needs (Literature Review on Theories of Motivation, nod).
These theories include Maslow‟s hierarchy of needs, Herzberg‟s two factor theory,
McClelland‟s need for achievement theory and Alfred‟s E.R.G theory. Process theories
emphasize the cognitive differences of the individuals. These theories put emphasis on the
behaviors of the human beings and try to find out the causes of certain behaviors can be
controlled. The theories falls under this category are as Vroom‟s Expectancy Theory, Goal
Setting Theory, Self-Regulation Theories, Self Efficacy Theory, and Adam‟s Equity Theory.

Academic achievement shows outcomes of the performance that indicate the degree to which
student has achieved specific goals that were kept in focus by the school, college and
university for the instructional activities of the students(Sufi, Demarche, Siddhi, & Sabayon,
2014). The competent and successful people are those who are highly educated. Too much
emphasis is placed on educated and excellent performance as was never before. Academic
performance of students is also very important. There is a great impact of academic
performance on student‟s motivation and determination. Students with poor academic
13
performance fail to seek admission to higher level institutions. Dropout rate of students
increases because of poor performance. That is why the academic performance of the
students has always been a topic of interest for the researchers and educators (Villi Acanthi et
al., 2014). Every government provides various facilities for students‟ learning and education
to get good results from them. Academic performance of students is vital for the institutions.
These are the operators of society to advance education in the country. Responsibility of the
preparation of future era lies on them. Furthermore, foundations whether open or private
attempt to do their commitment viably.

Motivation is very important factor for educational life of the students. Most research work
has been done on motivation due to its relevant importance. But mostly the cognitive factors
of motivation are discussed by the researchers in relation to the academic performance. The
effective factors relating to motivation as intrinsic and extrinsic motivation are not given
much importance by the researchers. Especially in Pakistani context no concern is shown to
the motivation of the students for improving their performance. The results of researches
conducted in other countries are not suitable and applicable in Pakistan Because of cultural
differences. Likewise the situations prevailing in our educational institutions are different.
Thus the focus of the study was on the extrinsic and intrinsic motivation of the students and
its effects on the academic performance of the students.
In the light of above studies, the main objective of the present study was to examine the
relationship between extrinsic and intrinsic motivation on academic performance of pupils
in mathematics. Furthermore, this study explores gender difference on the variable of
extrinsic motivations, and intrinsic motivation.

The Current Study

Student‟s academic performance is a basic concern for educationists. Proper motivation of
students may play helpful role for good performance of the students. In this study the
academic performance of the students is explored keeping in view its relationship with
intrinsic and extrinsic motivation of the students. Students of top ranking university of
Pakistan participated in the study. Focus of the study was to investigate the relationship of
intrinsic and extrinsic motivation of the students with their academic performance.

14
Objective of study

The study found answer to the following research questions.

1. What level of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation exits among students included in
the sample?

2. What is academic performance of students included in the sample?

3. To what extent motivation is related with academic performance at university

level?

Purpose of the Study

The main purpose of the study was to determine the relationship between extrinsic and
intrinsic motivation on academic performance of pupils in mathematics. Specifically it
seeks to examine, (1) Relationship between extrinsic motivation on academic performance
of pupils in mathematics; (2) Relationship between intrinsic motivation on academic
performance of pupils in mathematics; and (3) Whether gender difference will exist on
extrinsic and intrinsic motivation.

Hypotheses
Ho1: What is the relationship between extrinsic and intrinsic motivation on academic
performance of pupils in mathematics.
Ho2: What is the relationship between extrinsic and intrinsic motivation on academic
performance of pupils in mathematics
Ho3: There is no significant difference between male and female pupils scores on extrinsic
and intrinsic motivation.

15
 Chapter: 2

LITRATURE REVIEW

Teaching a class full of students who are enthusiastic about learning and who strive to
further their education is something all teachers hope for. However, for various reasons,
some students lose their inspiration to learn often resorting to misbehavior. Teachers can
transform those feelings and build student‟s desire to learn by using intrinsic motivators
and extrinsic rewards. For some students, they might already see the importance in school
and have a dedication to their education; therefore, teachers should emphasize using
intrinsic motivation to keep them excited. However, what about the students who see no
real purpose for being in school and display negative behaviors in the classroom? By
encouraging them with extrinsic rewards, the goal is to give struggling students something
to work for and get excited about. By getting these students eager to learn and be in the
classroom, they in turn will gain tools for more success. The topic and my research
question therefore becomes: How can motivation in the classroom be increased through
intrinsic and extrinsic rewards?
Chapter two presents a review of the literature regarding how intrinsic motivation and
extrinsic rewards influence students‟ motivation and performance. The first section focuses
on general aspects of motivation such as the definition, factors that attribute to a decrease in
school ambition as well as an increase, and the role of self-efficacy on student‟s behavior.
The second section discusses intrinsic motivation more fully, and identifies strategies teachers
utilize to build the desire to learn in their classrooms. The third section examines how
extrinsic rewards can improve behavior and increase motivation in those students who may
not be otherwise inclined to excel in class. The chapter concludes with a deeper examination
of extrinsic rewards, namely what a token economy is and how it can be beneficial to
classrooms.
16
What is Motivation?
Motivation is defined by Anatine, (1973) as “learning to do things and wanting to do
things because some rewarding satisfaction of one kind of another will follow our
learning” (p.10). In relation to the classroom, students can be motivated to fully complete
assignments, read independently, or volunteer in class because they find an inner
satisfaction in that. As teachers, it is important to build motivation in students. In relation
to the classroom, Haywood, keeper, Middeck, & Nor (2008) cited in (Okolona & Bahr,
1995) argue:
”Most educators agree that students who are motivated to learn are those who pay attention
to the teacher and maintain interest in academic activities, volunteer answers in class, ask for
guidance when needed, persist in trying to solve problems themselves, complete activities
above and beyond those required for the grade, and take risks to improve their own skills” (p.
45-46).
Trophy (2004) views motivation as “the intention of acquiring the knowledge or skills that
the activities are intended to develop” and a “willingness to engage in lessons and learning
activities” (p.4). Motivation definitions vary among researchers, which teachers can relate
to their own classrooms. What makes one student motivated or appear interested may be
different from another student.

Factors Affecting Motivation

Understanding motivation is a vital concept when working to produce productive, more
knowledgeable students. However, before changing the way children think inside the
schools, it is important to realize there are external factors influencing their motivational
levels and way children think outside of school.
Schools in today‟s society are changing so much. With the requirements of aft Child Left
behind Acts more schools are focusing on achieving higher test scores, often from the
beginning of the school year. Unfortunately, research shows that schools focusing primarily
on achieving high scores and competing for recognition results in students losing motivation
(Meese, Alderman & Alderman, 2006).
Research also indicates that students are less intrinsically motivated to learn and less
likely to engage in critical thinking when rewards are attached to these standardized test
17
results (Ameren & Berliner, 2003). With this being the focus, there is less emphasis on
content and whether or not the information interests or applies to the students, but rather
whether or not it will show up on tests. Districts are reducing learning to a matter of
achieving competitive scores, instruction revolving

Around assessments, and the threat of cutting funds based on these results (Burke, 1995).
Students are focusing more on how well they can complete tests instead of focusing on
applying information to themselves.
Another factor decreasing motivation in students might be their socioeconomic standing.
Depending on where they are in the social class may bring other dimensions of problems
like poverty, family stress, violence, drugs, ignorance, or complete disinterest (Kohn 2001).
Less privileged children may come from families who have not been able to give them
education opportunities, so they lack the emphasis on education (Cameron & Pierce, 2002).
Inner city students or students living in poverty often struggle to excel in school, or feel that
being smart is not “cool” (Jones, 2009). Jones interviewed a young girl, working to get a
good education, who compared most kids in her neighborhood being sent away to a
delinquent center, instead of college (Jones, 2009). President Barack Obama (2009) even
recognizes the pressures for students living in poverty and that if poverty is a disease that
infects an entire community in the form of unemployment, violence, failing schools, and
broken homes, then we can‟t just treat those symptoms in isolation” (p.2). While there are
countless other issues taking away from students‟ focus on schools, teachers need to try and
work to counteract any distractions.

Self-Efficacy
Self-efficacy is vital to motivation. According to Bandura (1994), self-efficacy is “people's
beliefs about their capabilities to produce designated levels of performance that exercise
influence over events that affect their lives.
Obstacles that inhibit learning are most frequently motivational; further, when
learner needs are thwarted or unsatisfied, defense mechanisms begin to intervene (Burke,
1995). When students do not believe they are good at something, they usually have very little
resilience to failure (Barry, 2005). This becomes increasingly evident when it relates to
academics and school. If a child knows he struggles with math and is not good with computing

18
numbers, that child will be less likely to keep trying if he/she is receiving poor grades (Barry,
2005).

19
 Dr. Mel Levine (2002) suggests that when students suffer from low self-esteem, classrooms
become a facilitator of daily embarrassment. Since children have very little tolerance for
this time of negative feelings, these particular students are the ones who most likely wind up
caught in a circle of “substance abuse, depression, juvenile delinquency, teenage pregnancy,
and dropping out of school” (Levine, 2002, p. 267). As research supports, the need to build
students‟ self-efficacy and their self-worth before trying to foster motivation in the
classroom is critical.

Difference between Intrinsic Motivation and Extrinsic Motivation

Intrinsic Motivation
As teachers, what are the tools for increasing student‟s motivation? Intrinsic reinforcement
remains a key strategy in building motivation in students. Kohn‟s (1993) definition of
intrinsic motivation as "enjoying what one does for its own sake” (p.68). It would
therefore apply to the classroom in explaining why a student wants to read a book outside
of what is required. For example, if there was no competition and no reward, the child
would be intrinsically motivated to read simply because they were interested in the book.
Haywood, keeper, Middeck, & Nor (2008) cited Institute (1997) to further discuss intrinsic
motivation:
“A number of studies suggest ways to encourage intrinsic motivation indicative of the idea that
in order to remain interested in learning, students must feel challenged and receive feedback
on their progress...Verbal praise and positive feedback have been said to enhance a student‟s
intrinsic motivation” (p. 45).
By focusing on this type of rewards, students are in essence motivating themselves.
Teachers often find building intrinsic motivation in students daunting because the teacher
cannot control what a student feels or think. What may be interesting to one student may
not be as relevant to the next, so how do you get students wanting to learn for their own
good? How the teacher introduces the information is a significant factor in whether or not
the students will be intrigued (Hansen, 2001).
Enthusiasm proves to be a paramount factor in promoting intrinsic motivation. When the
teacher seems excited, passionate, and noticeable enthusiastic, this may ignite the curiosity
20
and interest for students, in turn giving their intrinsic motivation a spark (Patrick, Hensley,
Kempner &Co1lege, 2000). By presenting activities in meaningful contexts that appeal to
children and becoming visibly excited about them, teachers can inspire students to realize
these facts are important to learn (Hansen, 2001). When Hansen conducted a study within
her own class, she found when she displayed vigor and energy prior to administering a
writing assignment; students gave her more eye contact, and their writing products were
completed more independently. Students asked for less help with spelling words, had less
trouble getting started, and showed a decline in approval and praise seeking behavior
(Hansen, 2001).
Intrinsic motivation is also increased when students have a choice in the activities they do.
Studies show that giving students an opportunity to choose learning activities increases their
internal motivation (Lowman, 1990). When students are given a choice, they are given some
control over their learning (Dev., 1997). What interest‟s one student may not appeal to another;
therefore, giving them a choice or a decision in the learning process will better link the student
to the information (Kearney, 2008). In trying to generate intrinsically motivated learners, it
would be beneficial if the task was viewed as engaging and something of interest (Coutts,
2004). Kohn (1993) found that a group of third and fourth graders remembers more of what
they were asked to read when they were allowed to pick the topic of the passage. In fact how
interested the students were in what they were reading proved to be thirty times more important
than how “readable” it was (Kohn, 1993). Hansen (2001) agrees that “when given the
opportunity to makes choices in their learning, my students could indeed be motivated for the
intrinsic value of what they had chosen to work at” (p. 4). Furthermore, by taking students‟
opinions and applying them to the lessons, teachers can better motivate the students to learn.
Another principle for building intrinsic learners is allowing students to work together
collaboratively. When students work in well-functioning cooperative groups, students feel
more confident about themselves, show positivity regarding the content being studied, and
become more accepting of each other (Kohn, 1993). Hansen saw an apparent difference in
her own class from her students reading alone and when they read a book of their choice in
small groups. Students who previously had struggled, flipped mindlessly through pages,
and clearly not reading the text for any type of comprehension, when paired in a group were
sitting quietly, relying on group members for help, and showed disappointment when
time was up (Hansen, 2001). Hansen (2001) cited Deli (1985) in that “competition has
21
 been shown to decrease intrinsic motivation” while cooperative learning settings are
intrinsically motivated. Therefore, when students work together to learn and expand
their knowledge, they are more likely to become invested and motivated to do the work.

Extrinsic Motivation
While intrinsic motivation focuses on building off a student‟s inner feelings, sometimes
students need external reinforcements to get them excited about school. An extrinsic reward
is a form of reinforcement or motivation builder. Extrinsic rewards are defined as “usually
tangible or otherwise observable consequences to a behavior“ (Kearney, 2008, p.38). These
reinforcements are limited to nothing as long as it is reinforcing to the student it is designed
to motivate. Char lop-Christy and Haynes (1998) presented data showing the percentage of
correct on task performance being higher when objects of obsession were used as tokens, as
opposed to when typical or general tokens were used. An object of obsession is considered
any specific item that harbors potential interest to the individual child in question (Char lop-
Christy & Haynes, 1998). These objects can be tangible items such as: tokens, chips,
stickers, stars, grades, edibles, money, check marks, toys, points, etc. (Phyfe, 2002). An
extrinsic reward could also be free time, verbal praise, computer time, or anything that the
student likes to do (Phyfe, 2002). This strategy has shown that “students who were rewarded
showed an increase in the main measure of intrinsic motivation (free time)“ (Cameron &
Pierce, 2002). In other words, by rewarding positive behavior from the students who have
low interest in their academic demands to begin with, teachers can increase students‟
motivation and their overall performance by giving them something to strive for
(Haywood, keeper, Middeck, & Nor, 2008). For those students who have low levels of
motivation regarding school and their assignments, extrinsic motivators provide them
with a tool to spark enthusiasm. Not only can extrinsic rewards increase students‟
motivation to complete the work, studies find that they help lessen problem behaviors and
increase appropriate behavior. Musser, Bray, Keble & Jenson, (2001) demonstrated that when
extrinsic rewards or a behavior intervention plan using rewards was implemented, students
reduced their amount of disruptive behavior. Managing behaviors is a concern for teachers of
all ages and grades; therefore, extrinsic rewards can be applied in a variety of settings to
improve class conduct. For example, there was a study conducted which focused on a third-
grade student with learning disabilities.
22
It proved that by awarding the student tokens when he behaved, (which was predetermined
as staying in his seat, staying on task during teacher instruction, and talking appropriately to
his classmates) his inappropriate behaviors diminished (Higgins, Williams, & McLaughlin,
2002). Combining a reward system and a response cost program, which is an avenue
within a reward system requiring students to give something back when they act out,
has been shown to be “quite effective in reducing noncompliant and disruptive
behaviors” (Moser, Bray, Keble & Jenson, 2001, p.295). Musser, Bray, Keble and Jenson
(2001) came to that conclusion when they completed their study on three special education
students who had individual education plans for emotional disturbance and attention
deficit/hyperactivity disorder. They found that when the students received stickers
for compliant behavior and for following the rules, their disruptive and
noncompliant behaviors were reduced to a level that would be acceptable within a
general education class setting (Musser, Bray, Keble & Jenson, 2001). When
students are behaving, less time is spent on correcting individual students and
teachers have more time to instruct. Salazar (2004) cited McGee and DePaul (2000)
explaining that the disruptive behaviors from students with attention-
deficit/hyperactivity disorder were significantly decreased when the reinforcement
and response cost contingency were implemented in the classroom. Therefore,
using these extrinsic rewards is also successful for students with special needs,
where typical behavior expectations may not be applicable.
In spite of all these studies, the use of extrinsic rewards to motivate students continues to
be controversial issue. Haywood, Kuiper, Middeck, & Nor (2008) cited Deli and Ryan‟s
(1996) claim that when tangible rewards are used to promote a behavior that would not
happen otherwise, the reinforcement is considered controlling and in turn, will decrease
intrinsic motivation. This view against the use of extrinsic reinforces views rewards as
something that people use to control others, and they do this by threatening the subjects
with the possibility of removing the reward, thus manipulating the behavior (Kohn,
1993). However, Cameron and Pierce (2002) challenged Deli and Ryan‟s study and
argued that intrinsic motivation is only decreased by the use of extrinsic rewards when
the rewards are already expected.

“A review of the literature on the effects of extrinsic reinforcement by Akin-Little,

23
Eckert, Lovett and Little (2004, p. 344) concludes that “little detrimental effect is found
with the use of external reinforcement” and receiving extrinsic reinforcement does not
harm a student‟s intrinsic motivation” (Zia pole, 2008, p.307).
Extrinsic rewards programs are often a good place to start when changing behavior and
increasing a desire to succeed in school; however, they are not the ultimate outcome
(Sebastian, 2009). Rewarding students who otherwise may lack motivation is a good
start to get them excited to learn, but ideally, the rewards can be slowly removed but the
behaviors will stay the same (Tiles ton, 2004). For the students who want to learn, they
are intrinsically motivated to keep coming back to school. However, for the students
who have a lower motivation to succeed in the academic setting, extrinsic rewards exist
as an approach to get these troubled students excited and enthusiastic about school.
Examination of Extrinsic Reward Programs
While extrinsic reinforces are effective if used alone, token economies provide
teachers with an avenue to establish expectations in the class. According to Zirpoli‟s
(2008), a token economy “is a symbolic reinforcement system it is based on a monetary
system, with money as the most common form of tokens which can be exchanged for
food, housing, and other material objects” (p.321). When used in the classroom, a
token economy gives students something to work towards. The teacher first must
discuss with the class the predetermined behavior he/she wants to see from the
students. The target behavior could be staying focused during a lesson, remaining
quiet during independent time, or any specific behavior an individual child needs to
work on (Kearney, 87). When the class or the student achieves the desired behavior, the
behavior is supported with a reinforce, which can be any type of ticket, stars, points,
stickers, tokens or chips. The premise is that if students have something to work towards,
these extrinsic motivators will provide them with a reason to perform what is being asked
of them.
A hypothetical economy would be every time they complete their homework without any
errors they get a ticket, and for every 15 tickets a student collects, they are rewarded with a
new pencil. Therefore, within any token economy there must be a backup reinforcement,
which is explained in Understanding Applied Behavior Analysis by author Albert Kearney.
He states, “Reinforces [tokens] would not be effective for long unless they had a backup
reinforce that can be received in exchange for the generalized reinforces...These reinforces
24
(TV, books, snacks, privileges, etc.) are what the tokens can buy” (Kearney, 2008, p. 87). In
other words, once the student achieves the number of tokens they are working towards,
they get a “backup reinforcement.” A backup reinforcement is not limited to tangible items,
but rather could be an activity, free time, or even verbal praise. These backup
reinforcements, a vital aspect in token economies, are what students who struggle to get
motivated in school can work towards.
Just as necessary as giving them a motivator, the teacher then reminds the students there is a
“response cost”, which means if a bad behavior is exhibited, the generalized reinforcement
can also be taken away (Cameron & Pierce, 2002). By holding the students accountable for
all their behaviors and actions, response cost help keep students focused and on track
(Zirpoli, 2008). Referring back to the same hypothetical token economy as previously
mentioned, an example of a response cost would be if the students do not complete three
error-free homework‟s in a row, they must give the teacher a ticket. “Token economies are
a positive reinforcement program for building up and maintaining appropriate classroom
performance and behaviors” (Salazar, 2004, p.67). A token economy is a way for
educators to use rewards to motivate good behavior in both regular and special education
students.
This system of rewarding and issuing a response cost can be applied to any situation or
classroom with the right planning. Students who may have otherwise viewed school as
being too hard or not somewhere they would like to avoid can be motivated to come and
succeed in school when extrinsic rewards are incorporate.

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 CHAPTER: 3

METHODS and DATA ANALYSIS

The study adopted a descriptive survey design in carrying out the study on influence of
extrinsic and intrinsic motivation on pupils‟ academic achievement in mathematics. The
population comprised of all 3,056 primary six pupils in Warri Municipal Council Area
of Imo-State. A sample size of 200 primary six pupils was selected for the study using
simple random sampling technique in selecting two schools. In the selected schools
purposive sampling technique was used to select classes that have more than three
streams. The age range is between 18-21 years. The instruments used for data collection
were Academic Motivation Scale (AMS). The AMS consists of 28 items and the second
was Achievement Test on Mathematics (MAT). It consists of 20 multiple choice test
items with four options (A- D). The face and content validity of the instrument was done
by experts in mathematics education and one expert in measurement and evaluation. The
reliability of the instrument was established using test-retest method which yields
reliability co- efficient of 0.89 and 0.92respectively.
The questionnaire was administered to respondents and they completed the questionnaire
After collection of data of the questionnaire. Academic Motivation Scale (Valerian, 1992)
was scored according to the instructions given in the manual. Pearson Product Moment
Correlation Coefficient and t-test were applied through Statistical Package for Social
Sciences, 13 versions was used to determine the relationship. The research design consists
primarily of qualitative teacher research. Teacher research emphasizes inquiries stemming
from teachers‟ own desires to examine their teaching experiences and provide insight into
classroom life (Cochran-Smith & Lytle, 1990). It provides the “framework for moving
forward with the agenda to transform teaching, learning, leading and schooling” (Cochran-
Smith & Lytle, 2009, p. 119). “Teacher research is a natural extension of good teaching. It‟s
observing students closely, analyzing their needs, and adjusting curriculum to fit the needs of
all students” (Hubbard and Power, 1999, p.3). Researchers examine educational practices at
length not just to determine how to get things done, but rather they come together to
collaborate on social and political rationales for what to get done, and why it should

26
be addressed

27
 (Cochran- Smith & Lytle, 2009). Therefore, this design strives for improving student learning
and closely examining what can be done to create more influential and successful teachers.
When considering research paradigms, quantitative and qualitative research approaches are
typically discussed. Quantitative research views research from a more linear viewpoint,
where teacher behavior functions as the “cause” and the students learning equates to an
“effect” (Cochran-Smith & Lytle, 1990). This objective viewpoint puts classrooms and the
researchers as two separate entities, as “research is conducted by university-based
researchers who are outside of the day-to-day practices of schooling” (Cochran-Smith &
Lytle, 1990, 3). Under this paradigm, teachers conduct their classrooms based off of other
researcher‟s findings, consequently separating the educator from the researcher. Here,
teacher are merely objects of others investigations. Eventually they are expected to implement
others findings, thus removingtheirinput from the process. (Cochran-Smith & Lytle, 1990, 3).
However, the second paradigm, qualitative research, allows the researcher to take a critical
look at the feelings and emotions of the participants within the study. The qualitative
framework of teacher research is defined as “a complex, context-specific, interactive activity
where all educational differences are important” (Cochran-Smith & Lytle, 1990, p. 3). The
findings from this model are typically created for academic groups, investigated, and analyzed
by teachers. Qualitative researchers work to “uncover, articulate, and question their own
assumptions about teacher, learning and schooling” (Cochran-Smith & Lytle, 2009, 141).
Under this paradigm, there is a direct connection from teacher learning to student learning,
and how they mutually shape one another‟s‟ educational progress (Cochran-Smith & Lytle,
2009). Theoretically, what better person to examine the structure and issues within a
classroom than ateacher?
My study looks at and closely analyzes teacher influence on student motivation. I hope to
gain insights into the established research on the topic by looking closely at teacher and
student perspectives throughout the course of the study. I use qualitative teacher research
because I examine specific students‟ feelings and attitudes.

The qualitative inquiry strategies used in this study include surveys, observations, interviews, focus
group decisions, students' projects and artifacts, and my personal teacher research journalism.

Procedure of Study

28
I launched my study by first taking a close look at how the classroom is established and the
overall atmosphere of the class. I honed in on how the teachers motivate the students and
documented which students in class appeared to be the most engaged and enthusiastic. I used
a checklist to assist in observing their behaviors related to motivation. I defined the following
categories: a.)Participates freely, b.)Respects classroom rules, c.)Achieves proficiency (or
above), d.)Completes class work, and e.)Tums in homework on time. This observation
checklist was completed every day of the study so I could keep accurate records of their
behavior, attitude, and work output. Next, I administered surveys for the students to complete
which focused on their personal feeling towards school and how much they wanted to be
there. My observations and data collection, paired with the students‟ surveys, gave me
baseline information. Finally, I made the decision to conduct my research during the literacy
block of the day so I could better monitor the data.
Upon gathering my baseline data and establishing what would be considered an “unmotivated”
student, I began implementing the teacher strategy of enthusiasm in order to help students build
motivation. Enthusiasm consisted of nonverbal actions such as an increase in vocal volume and
intonation, varied facial expressions, large hand and body gestures, and an increase in overall
energy. For the first week, I implemented these strategies during the literacy block for Tuesday,
Thursday and Wednesday. After Language Arts and Literacy on Thursday, the students also took a
“How am I feeling?” survey. On Friday, I had my first meeting with my focus group of
“student researchers” which consisted of six students who wanted to share what they liked or
did not like about reading that week. We discussed my behavior and how it did or did not affect
them.
The next week, I implemented the intrinsically motivating strategy of student choice. For
Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of Week Two, each day the students were given various
choices on how they would like to learn the specific skill being discussed. On Tuesday, the
skill was teaching point of view and the students had the options of writing a story from the
character of their choice‟s point of view, changing a typical fairy tale and picking a new
character as the focus, or choosing an inanimate object, like a cookie, and explaining how it
would feel. On Wednesday, the focus was on developing characters, and the students could
either learn by analyzing the character traits of an already created character, or using a picture
prompt, of their choice, as the basis for creating a completely new character. Thursday
followed the same procedure. The lesson‟s objective was to learn how to cite evidence from
29
the text. Students could choose between working in a group and together trying pull out the
important

30
information from the text or they could read a passage individually and also try to identify major
pieces of text. At the start of each day when the students independently made their choices,
those with the same choice would form a new group for the day, and that would be the small
group I met with during our rotation period. After the conclusion of the LAL block each day,
again they completed a survey. On Friday my group of “student researchers” met with
me again to discuss how the week went. We talked about how they felt regarding being able
to make choices regarding their education.
Week three followed the same routine, but the teacher strategy was incorporating cooperative
learning groups into the reading lessons. This week, the skil that needed to be taught was
figurative language, so each lesson focused on that skill. On Tuesday, after the students
observed a SMART board lesson on figurative language, the students were split into small
groups. These small groups then went out into the hall and worked together to create their own
examples of figurative language. Because figurative language has many topics to cover, they
did this for both Tuesday and Wednesday. This allowed the students the opponent not only to
work together, but also to get out of the classroom and do something a little different. To finish
the unit, the students broke up into groups of three or four with whomever they wanted. They
were reminded of how we treat classmates. They were also told that if there were any problems
with students being left out, I would create the groups myself. Once in groups, students
participated in a SMART board Trivia game. There was either an example of figurative
language or a definition provided, and the groups had to identify what kind it was. They worked
together to come up with an answer in a timely fashion. At the end of the 20 questions, the
students with the most correct answers were allowed to get something out of the prize box.
Each day during this week the students still completed a “How Am I Feeling?” worksheet, and
on Friday I met with a focus group of students.
At the end of Week Three I analyzed how many of my students showed higher point scores
on their motivation checklists that I had been taking since the beginning of the research. This
is where I changed paces to start implementing a new classroom behavior plan to see if
extrinsic motivators would be what those students who still were not doing their homework
or actively engaging in the lessons needed. First, the students completed a survey to see what
tangible items specifically motivated them which as I used as a guide later in the week.

31
On Monday, I talked with the students and re-established classroom boundaries by talking bout
how they should behave in the room and how they want their classmates treating them. I then
introduced the students to their new classroom point scale. Each week the students started out
with 15 points as shown on behavior charts taped to each child‟s desk. For each day they did
their homework and received a check or check plus, they earned a point. This set the students
up for earning at least four points during the week because typically the students do not have
homework on Fridays. For any literacy class work that received a check or check plus, the
students also earned a point. This set thorn up for earning at least nine points for just doing
what was expected of them. The other areas students could earn points came from asking good,
critical questions, displaying an act of kindness, or from receiving positive reviews from one of
the special's teachers. If a student received a check minus on any work, which correlates to
having not tried or not trying to one‟s ability, the student did not gain, nor lose a point.
This was not just a positive reinforcement behavior plan, for there were stipulations as
well. Whenever students did not complete their literacy homework at all, they had to take a
point. Losing a point also happened for disruptive behavior within the classroom. Students
lose point for any behavior that did not adhere to the classroom rules, such as chewing
gum, bullying or laughing at a classmate in a negative way, and any negative reviews from
a special‟s teacher. If by the end of the week the students earned at least 25 points, they
would be awarded with one of the options from their motivator‟s questionnaire. This
system left room for the students to have a “bad day” either behavior wise or with not
completing homework, but still gave them a chance to earn back points. It also made them
accountable for all of their behavior in and outside of the classroom.

DATA SOURSES
To establish data for my research of this study I used various qualitative research
techniques. The observation checklist allowed me to take an objective look at the
students‟ motivation by defining specific behaviors for which I was looking.
Interviewing teachers and audio recording the sessions also helped me determine how
educators feel regarding student motivation and what tools they utilize to build the desire to
learn. By meeting with a focus group of students once a week, I was able to get a sample of
the students‟ input, focusing on how they felt about the alterations I implemented in the
classroom. This in turn, provided me with information about the students‟ perspectives and
32
what they would like to see happen in the class. My teacher journal was another source I
utilized for data collection. Here I gained insight into the atmosphere of the room when I
changed lessons to include more intrinsically motivating strategies and the students' reactions
to these changes. This also enabled me to reflect on the changes which occurred once an
extrinsic reward system was implemented, and again gave me an avenue to reflect on any
overt behaviors I saw from the students. Pre and post surveys gave me more feedback from
all the specific students on how they felt about the adjustments in the classroom.
Additionally, the quality of their work was monitored and reviewed for completeness and
effort.

DATA ANALYSIS
The data received throughout the semester, daily surveys, teacher checklists, oral student
feedback, interviews and the teacher researcher journal, are all used to help draw conclusions
regarding the intrinsic and extrinsic phases of the study. By using the teacher journal and the
information from the student interviews, I reviewed all data to find trends between what the
students were saying and what activities were completed. I then applied these ideas to the
data I gathered from the student motivation surveys. By inputting the data from those surveys
into an Excel Spreadsheet, I was able to quantify the information I gathered and make
determinations based off the results. I looked at the students‟ surveys in the beginning of the
study and again at the end to compare results and see if there were any overwhelming
changes or main ideas I could draw from them. I also used the interviews and focus group
discussions to gain more concrete answers from my students on how motivated they felt
about the intrinsically motivating strategies I included. I also used these meetings to gain
more knowledge about student engagement, and paired their responses with insight from the
teacher researcher journal. By analyzing all of the various sources of data, 1 could better see
the various components attributing to increasing motivation in a fifth grade class.

Context of the Study

Common

Octavio‟s V. Cato Elementary School is one of 28 schools within the Camden City district. It is
one of the 20 elementary schools in the area, and it is located on the eastern side of the city. The
33
2000 Census showed there were 79, 904 people living in Camden City living in 24,177 housing

34
units. Of those households, 42% of them were families with children under the age of 18 years,
13.6% of them were married couples with own children under 18 years of age, 24.5% were
single mother households with children under 18 years old, and 19.9% were households with
individuals 65 years and over. Within the city, 18.8% of the housing units were vacant.
The racial makeup of the city taken from the census in 2000 was Id.8% White, 53.3% African
American, 38.8% Hispanic or Latino, and 2.5% Asian. The city population isspreadoutwith
38.2% undertheageof 19, 8.3% from 20-24, 29.4% from 25-44, 16.3% from 45-64 and 7.6%
who were 65 and older. The median age was 27.2 years.
Camden City median income is $23,421 per household and $24, 612 is the median family
income. The per capita income in dollars is $9, 815. Approximately 32.8% of the families in
Camden City live below the poverty level, as well as 45.8% of the families without a husband
present and 35.5% of the individuals in thecity.
Octavio‟s V. Cato Elementary School houses 459 students ranging from pre- kindergarten
through 7° grade. In fact, next year they will be adding 8 grade classes as well. There are 87
students attending pre-kindergarten, 72 kindergarteners, 58 first- graders, 49 second-graders,
42 third-graders, 37-fourth graders, 47 fifth-graders, 32 sixth- graders, and 31 seventh-graders.
The school has 51.65% females and 48.36% males.
The race breakdown goes as follows: 69.97% Hispanic, 27.92% African American, 1.98%
Asian, and .44% Caucasian. 95% of the students in the school are eligible for free lunches.
Ms. Disso and Ms. Davis‟s fifth grade classroom is made up of fourteen unique students.
Ofthese students, sevenaremaleandsevenarefemale. Thesestudentshave verydifferent learning
styles and personalities, creating afun environment. The makeup of the class is very diverse,
with seven African-America students, six students of Hispanicdescent, andone Asianstudent.
Twostudentsintheclasshave IEP‟s, Brettand Eddie, and both are for Communication
Impairments. Brett is a very intelligent student, butgetsveryflusteredandeasilyupsetwithin
theclassroom. Hesometimesstruggleto interact socially with his peers, and this further
upsets him. Brett also needs much support keeping his work area clean and organized since
he often loses assignments or hands them in rushed. When given the chance to talk about
topics he knows, Brett flourishes and loves to share his knowledge with the class. He also
receives speech therapy once a week.
Eddie is a more outgoing, involved student. He tries very hard and completes most
assignments. He doeshowever often “forget” hisassignments, especially his 100 Book
35
Challenge logs. Eddie

36
occasionally has trouble putting to words the thoughts in his head, so needs some extra
patience from the teachers when he gives an answer. He has a slight stutter and receives
speech therapy. Neither Brett nor Eddie hasany necessary modifications for the way the
material is presented.
They are both sat more towards the front of the class, but preferential seating is not in their
IEPs. One accommodation given to these special needs students is they receive extra time to
complete assignments, and are often given an extra explanation of what is expected to be
completed.
Without this additional support, these boys struggle to properly complete what was asked
of them, especially when it comes to any literacy homework.

Classroom
Overall, the fourteen students generally get along and treat each other nicely. Most of the students
are friends outside of the classroom, andthatcamaraderie carries into the room. They support each
other within small groups, but also during their time in the Read 180 cycle, and cheer for each
other to do well. For instance, if someone is struggling to do something onthecomputers, another
study will try and help them before they request help from the teacher. However, this class is not
without bullying. The arguments and disagreements are usually between the same core
students, but it seems to end up spreading to others in the classroom. As in most fifth grade
classes, there already is a sense of “who likes who” and that seems to bring much tension to
these students.
There was an instance where the whole class got involves and not only took sides in the
argument, but also began forming “alliances”. The teachers try to acknowledge any bullying
when they see or hear it, and deal with it accordingly.
There is a sense for a learning community when you go into the room, and the students
embrace all visitors and new students. The class is one that is used to change considering
since the start of the year two students left the school, and three students were intermittently
added to the group. The walls have countless educational posters, encouraging them to try
their hardest, and tips for becoming better writers. They respect both teachers but view one
more as the lead teacher then the other. In terms of technology, because this school was built
as a technology-based school, they have ever technology opportunity available within the
classroom, and if not there, then within the school. Within the classroom is a: SMART board,
37
scanner, projector, eight computers, television, and SKWE software the teachers use. The
teachers try to use as much as possible, but do not utilize it all. The students really enjoy the
SMART board and enjoy getting to interact with it in various ways. However, when the

38
assignments are as interactive, like most basic homework, many students often do not
complete it at all. This is proving to be a major issue for the class. Generally, the teachers
encourage the students whenever possible, and the students do try and work for their teachers.
Chapter Four discusses the results of student‟s daily surveys, teacher checklists, student
interviews, focus group discussions and the information contained in the teacher researcher
journal. Chapter Five then presents the conclusions and implications of the study and
recommendations for further topics to study.

39
 Chapter: 4

RESULTS

HO1; what is the relationship between extrinsic and intrinsic motivation on academic
performance of pupils in mathematics.
HO2; There is no significant difference between male and female pupils scores on extrinsic
and intrinsic motivation.

Table 1Level of Students‟ Overall Academic Intrinsic Motivation

Academic Intrinsic Motivation

Mean
Intrinsic Factors
5.69
Extrinsic Factors
4.67

The results of the analysis of data in Table 1 show that both intrinsic and extrinsic factors of AIM
equally have consistent scores. Both factors also garnered fairly high 40 ratings, but it is intrinsic
factors that received a higher average score of 5.69 than extrinsic factors‟ average of 4.67. The result
reveals that the respondents are more highly intrinsic than extrinsic in their motivational orientation.

Shia (1998) clarified that authority expectations affect academic intrinsic motivation as an extrinsic
factor. She clarified that an external consideration for academic intrinsic motivation is the desire to
please teachers and parents and win their appreciation. Peer acceptance is also an external factor that
influences academic intrinsic motivation. According to Shia (1998), power motivation is an external
factor of academic intrinsic motivation that is often confused with the need to succeed because both

40
forms of motivation have been linked to higher academic performance. The fear of failure is the final
external element of academic intrinsic motivation, according to Shia (1998), which has a connection to
lower academic performance. She attributes this to a motivation, which happens when students
encounter negative learning feelings such as test anxiety or a loss of self-efficacy.

Table 2 Level of Students‟ Academic Intrinsic Motivation in terms of Mastery Orientation

Indicators Mean
Mean I like to spend time reading about things that interest me. 5.55
No matter how much I like or dislike a class, I still try to learn from it. 5.79
I try to do my best on every assignment. 5.66
I feel that challenging assignments can be great learning experiences. 5.49
Senior high school helps me to gain valuable knowledge. 6.03
I enjoy learning about various subjects. 5.30
Sometimes I do more than I have to for an assignment to help me understand 5.05
the material better.

Average 5

Table 2 shows the analysis of data obtained from the indicators of mastery orientation. Shia, as cited in
Burgess (2016), described mastery orientation as the need to prove one‟s competency to oneself. This is
an intrinsic factor of motivation, she explained, since motivation stems from the intrinsic value of
learning: learning for the sake of learning. Respondents‟ mastery orientation returned an average of
5.55 in terms of spending time reading about things interesting (5.55); trying to learn from a class
despite liking or disliking it (5.79); trying to do best in every assignment (5.66); feeling that challenging
assignments can be great learning experiences (5.49); enjoying learning about various subjects (5.30);
doing more than required for an assignment for better understanding of the material (5.05). While one
indicator, „senior high school helps me gain valuable knowledge,‟ received the highest rating of 6.03
mean score.

41
 Table 3 Correlation between Motivation and Academic Performance

Grade Point Significance

Academic Motivation .5638** .000

Note. Shows correlation between academic motivation and academic performance significant
at**p=.000

Table 4 t- test Gender Difference on Academic Motivation and Academic Performance

Variable Gender N Mean Std Dev. t df Sig

Female 200 131.43 6.786

Academic

Motivation 4.324 198 .000

Male 200 126.43 7.327

Note. Verifies Significant difference was found between male and female (t= 4.324, df =198, p<.05)
on the variable of academic motivation and academic performance.

Findings are consistent with previous literature. For example, Johnson (1996),
Broussard and Garrison (2004), Skaldic and Skaldic (2006), and Sandra (2002) found
significant relationship between academic performance and motivation. Similarly,

42
Johnson (1996) found that academic achievement is highly correlated with student‟s
motivation. However, Bank and Finlayson (1980) found that successful students were
found to have significantly higher motivation for achievement than unsuccessful
students did.
Motivation types also effects on the performance of the students. Intrinsic and extrinsic
motivation effects on the achievements and goals of the students‟ performance.
According to Human and Lens (1999), highly intrinsically motivated students can
simultaneously be extrinsic in terms of future goal orientations. Furthermore, students
who are intrinsically motivated persist longer, conquer more challenges, and
demonstrate accomplishments in their academic endeavors than those who are
extrinsically motivated (Pint rich & Garcia, 1991). Extrinsically motivated students tend
to focus on earning higher grades, obtaining rewards and acceptance from peers.
Researchers, for example, Boehlert & Snowman, (1990) believe that extrinsic
motivational factors diminish students' intrinsic motivation. Students' extrinsic
motivational factors combined with positive future goals can actually facilitate their
present value and intrinsic motivation (Van Caster, Lens, & Noting, 1987).
According to the results, there is gender difference on the variable of extrinsic and
intrinsic motivation on academic performance (t=4.324, p <.05). These findings which
are consistent with Chew, Piano and Smith (2005) indicated that female college students
are more likely to have higher academic ethics than male students, which are
characterized by higher academic attainment. Furthermore, findings of the study
suggests that females were intrinsically motivated than males. In contrast, males were
more extrinsically motivated than females. The possible explanations of these findings
are that males are expected to be the main breadwinner of the family in our society. For
females, academic performance and motivation is based on self-exploration and internal
satisfaction. This is the main reason that males are extrinsically motivated as compare to
females.

43
 Chapter: 5

DISCUSSION

As chapter four explained, I collected my data in two main parts. First, I implemented
intrinsically motivating strategies based off situations I manipulated as the teacher. These
strategies included using extra enthusiasm the first week, giving the students choices in their
assignments for one week, and incorporating cooperative groups for the third week. After
each day of using one of these strategies, at the end of the literacy block (the subject in which
my research was conducted) the students completed a daily survey called “Throughout the
Day” (Appendix A). This provided me with the

feedback to monitor how they felt about the lessons. Then I went on to put the extrinsic
reward system into effect. I also kept my own records of their behavior on a checklist, which
had five criteria I defined as motivating behaviors. They were: (1) Participates Freely; (2)
Achieves Proficiency/ +; (3) Respects Classroom Rules; (4) Classwork Completed; and (5)
Homework Turned In (Appendix B). For each category the students received a 3, 2, or 1
based on their behavior that day (See Appendix C for rubric). After those three weeks, I
changed focuses and put the extrinsic reward system into effect.
To quantify the data I received from the “Throughout the Day” surveys, I created a point
system. For every “Very True” they circled, I considered that 5 points. For each “True” they
circled, that was deemed 4 points. “Neutral” received 3 points, “False” received 2 points, and
“Very False” received l point. By doing this, I was able to create averages, standard
deviations among the answers, and see the growth or decline in their feelings towards what
was being conducted within the class. Using this data also allowed me to create data tables
and charts to better understand the research I gathered.
Discoveries about Enthusiasm

Upon implementing the three strategies previously discussed in order to increase a student‟s
motivation, I realized overwhelming differences between the three strategies. I particularly
found a uniqueness revolving around the use of enthusiasm. During the enthusiasm phase, I
made efforts to include more changes in vocal volume and intonation. I varied from loud to
44
quiet, from slow to quick, all in efforts to grasp their attention. I incorporated more hand
movement and gestures within the lesson, in addition to mixed facial expressions. Sometimes
I even felt like I was putting on a show for the students. Present during these days was an
overall increase in the energy I put out Entering the classroom at Cato School, the students
were typically well behaved and had established rules and expectations. Their behavior plan
was not incredibly concrete, but the teachers in the classroom kept the students moving along
as it was. I figured they would be fine with me adding in this unique strategy; I was sorely
mistaken. What I found after trying to teach and incorporate more energy was, at first, the
students became increasingly noisy and rowdy. Considering I am a rather enthusiastic and
animated teacher to begin with, adding this extra amount of energy turned the classroom
more chaotic then productive.
After that first day of including extra animation and vigor, I began to doubt if it would work
at all. To build the background knowledge, the skills for this week focused around story
elements like plot, setting, characters, and problem/resolution. The first day I used an
interactive SMART board lesson to discuss the differences and how those factors influence a
story. Mixing this lesson with the extra energy proved to be too much for the students to
handle. Ioverheard two students talking and said, “Miss Typos seems off the walls. I can‟t believe
she‟s acting like this.” The other student replied, “Everyone is getting so silly too!” Without
discussing what Iexpected, the class seemed to lose the educational focus of the lesson.
Also, more behavior concerns had to be addressed on that first day, and in general during that
week, nine out of fourteen students lost a “point”.
In this classroom, one lost a point if they were acting out in a disruptive or inappropriate
way. Based off my observations during the weeks prior, on average about five students out
of the fourteen lost at least one point during a week, and of that five, they typically were
the ones who lost more than one point. However, the number of students acting out actually
doubled during the time extra enthusiasm was used. One student, Trevor, during the
focus group discussion explained, “Well this week you kept acting so crazy, I think the rest
of us thought we were allowed to too Emma and Ciara, both students who typically can
be counted on to stay on track and focused, admitted to
getting really carried away.

45
At one point Emma got out of her seat and began moving freely around the classroom,

something students are well aware they should never do. Here, their excitement and energy

resulted in not enough learning.

Having realized the mistakes in my actions, before starting my lesson on the second day, I
reestablished boundaries with the class. Together we talked about how we should behave
during the lesson, like raising our hand to speak, not talking while the teacher or others are
talking, and remaining quiet in their seats. By recreating order within the classroom, the
lessons the next two days went smoother. In turn, the enthusiasm acted as a way to get the
class excited about the lesson. While some still struggled to keep their behavior in check on
the second day, by the third day, the students figured out the routine and the expectations for
them. As quoted in Chapter Two, by presenting activities in meaningful contexts that appeal
to children and becoming visibly excited about them, teachers can inspire students to realize
these facts are important to teach (Hansen, 2001). This theory also proved true in my
experience when I interviewed students in the focus group. After the three days of
incorporating extra energy and excitement into the classroom, my student named Kelly
explained, “You kept making us wonder why you were so excited. It was like, well if you
were excited about something, then maybe I should really pay attention.” Emma agreed and
added, “I wanted to know what you were so pumped about. When you Were happy like that,
I felt Ishould be happy with you too. I was excited to be in class!” Here the students‟
comments justify that when teachers exhibit passion and energy about topics, the students
respond positively to it. Because I was behaving in such a matter that demanded their
attention, the students felt this was important knowledge to build on.
Having the ability to harness that passion and enthusiasm, and use it in moderation during
lessons, the students were more interested in what is being taught. Therefore, albeit behavior
concerns initially became more of an issue in the classroom, the students did positively react
to my extra enthusiasm. Additional data from the surveys supports this theory. There were
various questions on the survey that had a positive connotation. While all the questions held
important value in gathering a true representation of how the students were feeling, a few
stood out to me as being especially telling.

46
The ones I looked the most closely at were “I wanted to do well for myself‟, “I was glad I was
learning what the teachers were explaining”, and “I tried my very best”. During the week
enthusiasm was used, for “I wanted to do well for myself‟, on the first day the average
response was a 4.08 out of 5. On the second day it was a 4.48 and by just the third day, the
average already was a 4.75. Hence, according to the students‟ surveys, as the week progressed
and students got a better understanding of my expectations, they enjoyed being present more,
and their intrinsic motivation of wanting to do well increased. Looking at the comment, “I
was glad I was learning what the teachers were explaining”, on the first day of the
enthusiasm, the average score was 3.62, on the second day the score was 4.17, and on the
third day, the average answer was a 4.08. Again, as the students grew accustomed to the
routine of the class, the students responded positively. Finally, in analyzing “I tried my

Very best”, students reported an average score of 4.46 the first day, 4.25 the second day, and
4.58 the third day. While these numbers are much closer linked, they still show a slow
growth of positive attitude towards me using enthusiasm in the classroom.
Additionally, when I reviewed the information from the teacher checklist, there also showed to
be an increase in the amount of students participating in class. On Day One, only 7 students
received a score of 3, which means they are freely participated. Yet by the third day, 12
students freely answered questions and gave their feedback.
Unfortunately, the categories of “Classwork”, “Achieves proficiency or higher”, “Respects
classroom rules”, and Homework Turned In” remained unchanged, thus telling me that
regardless of my behavior in the front, the students completed the amount of work they
wanted to. Even though behavior was initially a concern during this phase, overall the use of
enthusiasm was effective in getting the students to be more engaged in
The lessons.

Links between Student Engagement and Motivation

In completing the research for this study, I also found a compelling trend in my data, in that
when the students were most engaged, involved or interacting with the lesson, they reported
the most motivation.

During the second week of the study, NJ ASK test preparation started coming into play, so each

47
day I taught a new skill. As stated in Chapter Three, the students worked on grasping the
concept of point-of-view, developing a well-supported character, and finding evidence within
a text. To incorporate choice into point-of-view, the students were asked to pick a fairy tale
of their choice, and tell a new story from a different character‟s point of view. Vanessa chose
to do a narrative from the Tom‟s point of view from Tom and Jerry, and Eddie chose to do
Jerry‟s side. Kelly chose to talk about how the wolf most likely felt from the story of Little Red
Riding Hood and Katrina explained the step-sister‟s view from Cinderella. They also had the
option of picking an inanimate object, and by using personification, giving it a point of view.
Mitch chose to talk about how “Basketball” feels abused, and all he wants to do is hang out
with his friends on the rack. The students were given the freedom to cover what they wanted
to write about.
Choice was also incorporated into developing characters. This was achieved by teaching the
students how important it is to create very detailed characters. I printed out six different
images of possible characters. They ranged from a yeti to a small woman the size of a leaf, to
a witch-like lady. The students were allowed to pick whichever image they wanted, and from
there, they created a thorough explanation of who the character was, and why they were
doing what they were doing in the picture. The third lesson was finding evidence within a
text to support an answer, and the students picked the text they wanted to analyze. Then they
would go through and locate supporting details for the question they were answering.
During the lessons, the students were engaged and excited about what they were doing. So it
was that much more surprising when I analyzed the data from their motivation surveys.
When I looked at the three key statements from their surveys, for “ I wanted to do well for
myself‟, the numbers decreased from an average of 4.67 on the first day, to 4.36 on the
second day, then went back up again to 4.54 on the third day. For the statement of “I was glad
I was learning what the teachers were explaining”, the numbers went from 4.33 on the first
day, to
4.36 to the second day and went down to 4.23 on the third day. Finally, for the statement “I
tried my very best” the student‟s statistics showed
Similar variances in that the average was 4.25 the first day, 4.36 the second day then 4.54
the third day. I went back in my records to see if there were outstanding issues during this
period that would have contributed to these statistics. I discovered it was during this week
the students
48
had significant behavior problems within the classroom. Students were even required to
record how they thought they had behaved during the lessons and some responses were “I
was doing okay at first, but then I started talking to friends”, “I wasn‟t focused today”,
“Today I wasn‟t really very focused” and “I was just okay today, but I know I could have
done better”. This data leads me to believe that perhaps when behavior issues become the
forefront concern for the teacher, motivation decreases.
Nevertheless, all scores that week ranged within the “True” to “Very True” scoring, showing
that even with the minor decreases in scores, students were motivated.
Additionally, during that week, only three students did not do their homework, a step up from
the week before.
What I found to be the most telling from this section of my research was the information I
gathered from interviews. One particular interaction spoke volumes to me about how the
students felt regarding these lessons. This came after we worked on creating the characters
based off the pictures. I worked with the students in small groups during their rotation at the
teacher.
Me: “Okay Jada you have to go now. It‟s time to move on to the next rotation.” Jada: “Okay.”
Me (After her not moving): “You can finish this later.”

Jada: I know I‟m going. It‟s just that...this is a lot of fun though. I like that I get to do
something different from the others if I want.”
In this situation, Jada was stalling to go to the computer rotation, usually a favorite of the
class, because she wanted to keep writing. By giving the students some options in how
theydeveloped the characters, students were engaged and working hard. The chatter around
the room was positive and fun.
Trevor: “No way, you said the lady was the size of a bug? That‟s cool. I said she was a
woman that lives in the rainforest, where the grass grows as tall as her!”
Jada: “Miss Typos, mine is different from Will‟s. He said the woman is laughing because she
told a joke, but I said she‟s laughing because she pushed another lady out of the way, and now
she‟s the queen. Is that okay that they‟re not the same?”
Me: “Of course Jada! That‟s the point of all this! You get to develop her in however
way you want.”

49
In all of these situations, I felt myself questioning what I was finding. Were the students
engaged because they were given choices or were the students enthusiastic because they were
completely engaged? In completing the rest of the research, I found more situations support
the latter. Strengthening this notion was my data collected from the following week, when the
students werepresented with lessons that involved student collaboration.
Before examining the teacher observations and student records, I must briefly re- explain what
the students did during this week. The Language Arts and Literacy block was focused around
figurative speech, again in efforts of preparing the students for the NJ ASKS. For the first and
second day, the students first received a SMART board lesson during their whole group time,
which reviewed information on figurative language, gave examples, and presented when to
incorporate it. Next, when they moved into their Rotation, they came out into the halls with me
during their small group time. On the walls I put up four different examples of figurative
language, correlating with whatever I spent the most time discussing during whole group. As a
group, the students created their own example for each. Whenever someone needed help, the
group was there to provide backup, yet all students created their own example too; therefore,
the group functioned as additional support if needed. The same process was repeated on the
second day, with four other examples of figurative language. On the third day, the students
were allowed to break into their own small groups, and as various cohorts, they played a trivia
game based off figurative language questions.
It was during this week I counted the highest scores in all three of the specific areas in their
surveys. For the “I wanted to do well for myself‟ statement, the average went up from 4.46, to
4.62 to 4.77; a steady increase as the week progressed. In response to “I was glad I was
learning what the teachers were explaining”, averages went up from 4.46 on the first day to
4.69 to the second and 4.77 on the third day. Last, for “I tried my very best” the average
went from
4.46 to 4.77 to 4.92, where almost every student but one scored themselves with a 5, a “Very
True”.
Supporting this data would be my information from the teacher checklist. Days One, Two and
Three of this week all showed at least 10 students achieved a score of three each day in “Freely
Participates”, “Classwork”, “Achieves proficiency or higher”, and “Respects classroom rules.
“Homework Turned In”, unfortunately, saw no increase in scores, and three students still did
not feel compelled to do their homework. Again, homework being completed seemed to be
50
unrelated to what went on in the classroom.

51
Onefinal discovery regarding student engagement and motivation came completely

as a surprise to me. In concluding my study, I gave the students a short questionnaire

(Appendix E) where they would write down their overall feelings about what we did together
regarding motivation. One of the questions was “Which one of the strategies listed above did
you like best? Why?” I added it with the assumption the answer was going to be simply
working in groups. Getting to work together with friends seemed the obvious. But I was
shocked when five students said working in groups, and five said working out in the halls! Of
all the planning and debating over lessons, having the students work out in the halls was just
a spur of the moment decision I made to get the students out of their seats; yet that motivated
them equally as did working in groups.
Some responses were, “I liked best working outside of the classroom in the halls. It let us
move around without getting in trouble”, “Working in the hall was fun because it let us move
around the classroom and get out of those seats!” and “Working outside the classroom in the
hall was more fun then what we normally do.” Consequently, a surprise discovery within
learning about student engagement is that movement within a lesson is something that also
motivates students. They really enjoyed the ability to use kinesthetic learning within a literacy
lesson. For future reference, movement of not only their bodies, but simply around the
room is something to look into for when encouraging students to excel in school. Student
engagement is closely connected to motivating students, and by working to gain participation
and interaction within lessons, motivation seemed to subsequently follow.
Fostering Positive Collaborative Experiences

In revisiting the previous paragraph, again I would like to draw on the theme of motivation
connected to collaborative learning. The third week of the study focused on The students
working together in groups. My initial fears of doing this revolved around the possibility of
students being left out. I had an image in my head of one random student, sitting alone at a
desk, with no one wanting him/her to be in their group. Yet when given the chance, the
students proved me wrong and showed me what a positive experience it could be.
While working in the halls, creating figurative language examples, some students were able
to independently create examples with more ease than others. One situation that stood out

52
to

53
me was when Katrina was doing her best to create an example of personification.
Continually confusing dialogue with personification, she was beginning to get visibly
frustrated.
Katrina: “Miss Typos, I just don‟t get this.”

Me: “Well don‟t forget to look at what your classmates did before you. Try to get a better
understanding from the examples. And what did I say we could do if need extra help?”
Katrina: “Oh yeah, we‟re allowed to work together. Hey Will, could you help me?

Yours is really good.”

Will: “Sure!”

Now Will was typically a struggling student, but when Katrina asked him, of all people, for
help, his eyes lit up. Here, Will was able to explain to Katrina personification was just like
when something not real comes to life. Did you ever have a pet rock? Did the rock talk to
you? See you used personification,” he explained. Why didn‟t I think of that? She understood
the concept, Will was able to further gain practice on figurative language, and both students
were happy. Everybody won. But if this had been Completed during whole group instruction
where all students work independently, when would she have truly figured out the meaning
of personification because she is too shy to raise her hand and ask for help? Students working
together in groups (both assigned by me and chosen on their own) were very beneficial. I
observed students working together, helping each other out and giving new angles on
concepts when I was running out of ways to describe.
Students group work ended up becoming a major contributor in increasing motivation.
Talking with the students in the focus group, I was interested to hear the various feelings
about it. We discussed how they felt regarding the week‟s lessons and getting to work with
their classmates. Most students agreed they felt more excited about the lesson and being in
school when they found out they would be working with their peers. Some insightful
comments were:
Eddie: “Getting to work in groups is nice because if you get frustrated, you have people
there to help you so you don‟t feel so dumb.”

54
Kelly: “It is fun working with friends, but we get hyper so easy. I know we are gonna‟ get in
trouble for talking. We can‟t help it!”
Both of these students enjoyed the group work, but Kelly identified the problems that occur
within these groups, and specifically mentioned talking out of turn and talking within the
groups. Fifth graders are at a point where they begin socializing more, so this is a natural
problem even during a regular lesson. In order to help minimize talking out of turn,
classroom management expectations must be clear and established. Two other statements that
I found intriguing were:

Ciara: “I like it better when you assign the groups. You separate the kids that

Shouldn‟t be together and that way the lesson goes smoother.”

Mitch: “But when you do it, and I get with someone I don‟t like, it‟s awful. I‟m stuck doing a
whole project with them.”
These students gave perspectives on both picking groups on their own, and being put in groups
by the teacher. Ciara discussed about how awkward picking groups can be; yet Mitch rebutted
with a sound defense, explaining how it is tough being paired with someone you may not like.
In the end, myanalysis revolves around the concept that each classroom is different. In some
classes I‟ve taught in, I could mix and match pretty much any students, and everything would
be completed relatively easily. Yet in other rooms, I knew from the start of the lesson which
students would need to be separated. Controlling behavior plays a major factor in the success of
a lesson, but by incorporating cooperative learning groups, my data suggests that students are
more motivated within the classroom.
The “Throughout the Day” surveys would also support this theory. Referring back to the
previously stated data, during the cooperative learning group‟s week, there was a steady
incline in the averages, with the class rating the highest “I tried my very best”.
Only one student out of 14 did not agree that this statement was “Very True”. Their
homework completion actually went up by one person as well, and 11 out of the 14 students
completed all of their homework that week. Additionally, 12 students received all threes for
my teacher checklist. The data I collected supports the findings that collaborative learning
helped promote motivation in my fifth grade students.

55
Connection between Extrinsic Rewards and Choices

Before I explain the findings of the second phase of the research study, it is
Imperative to make clear the behavior management system that was already in place. The students had
“Behavior Charts” on their desk that assigned each day of the week, five points. Theoretically,
at the start of the week the students would be given these charts, and each time they did
something the teachers deemed wrong, the students took a point. They took a point by circling
one of the numbers in the box for the specific day they were in. Taking a point could be the
consequence of calling out of turn, not raising their hand, chewing gum, overall behavior
problems, or anything else that was disruptive to the class. If the students had less than 20
points by the end of the week, they were not allowed to participate in “Fun Friday”, a free
period Friday afternoon. I saw many students take a point, yet there was rarely any negative
ramification come Friday afternoon. The students who had more than 20 points got to play
around, and so did the students who had less than 20. No one was truly held accountable for his
or her actions.
When I changed the focus from intrinsically motivating strategies to an extrinsic reward system,
I had established expectations in my mind. These expectations revolved around rising
“Throughout the Day” scores, even more completed homework, and an overall more pleasant
classroom. Again, I was wrong. What I found after implementing the changes I discussed in
Chapter Three, there was no change at all in the way the students behaved. They did their
homework just as much. Students did not try to be nicer to their classmates, nor did I see an
increase in overall good behavior. What I did find was that students behaved almost exactly the
same with the intrinsically motivating strategies and the extrinsic rewards. The students who did
not feel compelled to do their homework did not do it more when I was jumping around the
room being enthusiastic, and nothing was completed when they knew they were getting points
for completed Work.
The interesting facts I did discover were within the observations regarding choice and point
fluctuation

56
Before the students started the extrinsic reward phase, they completed a short survey titled,
“I‟ll work for that” (Appendix D). It listed various items or things the students would be
interested in working towards and they had to pick their top three choices. See Figure 1.

"I'll Work for That"

Results

Lunch with
Teacher

Positive Note Home

10 14

I had figured that all students would stick to the “Fun Friday” choice, but I was very

Surprised when I saw “Lunch with the Teacher” had almost the same amount of points. They

want to hang out with me when they don’t have to? And when I met with my focus group

during lunchtime, they gave me some reasoning behind their selection.

Will: “I like getting to eat with the teachers; it lets me get to know them in a different

way. When I get to eat with you, it‟s like; we can be more like friends.”

Kelly: “I would rather be with you then getting a piece of candy. You eat candy, it‟s gone. But

with you, I‟ll see you for lots more days, so it‟s worth it.”

57
Iris: “I like that I can pick lunch with you, someone else can pick from the prize box,

and someone else can get a good note home to their parents. It‟s nice like that.”

Not only did the students enjoy spending extra time with the teacher, but some even

were upset when they realized they did not have enough points. Also, what Iris said

resonated with me. The choices were a big success! In my teacher journal and my

observations, I noticed that students responded positively to having an opinion in the

choices they were rewarded with, as opposed to simply picking from the “prize box”.

For instance, when I thought for sure Kevin would want some candy, instead he picked

the note home.

Kevin: “Miss Typos if I pick a note home this week, do I have to change for next

week? Wow, I‟m going to (going to) make sure I get enough points so I can get another

note for next week! My mom will be happy.”

58
 Chapter: 6

CONCLUSION

As discussed in Chapter Four, I have come to find that enthusiasm, student choice and
cooperative learning groups can in fact motivate a student in an elementary classroom, in
addition to extrinsic reward programs. When I used extra energy and displayed a passion for
the material, students felt that the information was more important, and in turn that they paid
closer attention to what was being discussed. I learned that while the extra enthusiasm can
create behavior problems if the students are not reminded of how they should behave, overall
enthusiasm proved to be an effective way in grabbing students‟ attentions. Whether students
became more engaged because of my energy level or because of how the lesson was created,
getting students engaged in the lessons was imperative in building motivation. During the
times when student choice and cooperative learning groups were in effect, I found the
students were most responsive to the lessons where they could interact with the material the
most. Group work also seemed to foster favorable responses from the student, and they were
able to gain help and guidance from each other. Additionally, although the extrinsic reward
program didn‟t make major changes in motivation, students did respond positively to the
individual nature of the system, where they were allowed choice in selecting their prize. Also,
ensuring that there is room for both gaining and losing points motivated students to keep on
trying and working, even if they lost points. They kept trying and working, and that displayed
increased motivation. After analyzing and interpreting data findings from my teacher research
journal, student surveys, teacher checklists, and focus group discussions, I found that both
intrinsically motivating strategies and extrinsic rewards can positively influence the learning
in a fifth grade classroom.

Conclusions
Based on my findings from my study, and the work of others who examined motivation in
elementary aged children, I learned how important building motivation in students is. With no
one particular approach being the sole way to inspire a child to excel, increasing a student‟s
motivation depends greatly on the specific child.

59
Again, while not all students are motivated or unmotivated in the same ways, or find interest
in the same things, the research I collected based off my study would support that both
intrinsic and extrinsic rewards can increase a child‟s motivation in school.
Hansen (2001) explained how presenting activities in a meaningful way, that appeals to
children, will help inspire students to see the importance of the information. My research
supports this theory, in that when I was extra enthusiastic and passionate about the lessons,
the students responded positively and reported on paying closer attention.
Building this intrinsic desire to pay attention may in turn ignite “the curiosity and interest for
students” (Patrick, Hensley, Kempner & College, 2000). If students are excited about the
lessons, I have found that they ask more questions and remain more engaged.
According to Coutts (2004), it is beneficial that the tasks in the classroom be viewed as
engaging when trying to generate intrinsically motivated learners. I saw this first hand within
my own study. When the students were fully engaged in the lessons, they displayed the most
motivated behaviors. Student engagement hinges on the ability To have a choice in the
learning process.

I saw firsthand that when students were given the ability to create their own assignments in
literacy based on a lesson everyone received, students put more effort into the work, and
reported enjoying the task more. According to Kearney, (2008), by giving students a choice or
decision in their learning, the students create a better link to the information. My research
coincides with this view and supports teachers providing students with the ability to make
decisions about how they learn. Cooperative learning groups also functioned as a means to
gain engagement, and the evidence I collected would support that statement. Students were
able to build off one another, use each other for support, and even gain self-esteem when they
were able to help another student with a challenging question. All of these factors were seen
in my research, and agree with Kohn (1993) in that students may feel more confident about
themselves. These groups were places for students to grow not only academically, but also
socially.
Additionally, my research was not just about intrinsic motivation and how teachers can
change their lessons accordingly, but also that extrinsic rewards do in fact hold value in
increasing some students desire to succeed in the classroom. From within my study, I found
that more important than just the idea of getting “prizes” for good behavior, students need to
work for something that matters to them in order to build motivation.
60
What appealed to one student did not matter to another, so by giving them a variety of
choices in what they would be working towards, I observed students working harder to get
what they specifically desired. This supports Char lop-Christy and Haynes (1999), in that the
reinforcements may be limited to nothing, as long as they are reinforcing to the specific
student in question. While one student worked for a lollipop, another student in

the study pushed harder to get the positive note home to his mother. My research has shown
me that teaching is a field where what works for one child may not work for another. What
motivates a child to excel may not affect another student in any way. Therefore, I hope this
study encourages teachers to try various strategies throughout the course of the school year,
with the focus of motivation students as the main idea. By using both intrinsic strategies and
extrinsic rewards, students can be engaged and excited to learn. Sometimes going outside of
what is comfortable, or changing up things in the middle of the school year may be just what
the students need to build their motivation to keep coming back and expanding their
education.

61
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