Moving on from carrots and sticks

Even with the best of intentions to kick off 2024 with renewed energy and commitment, it’s a difficult time of year for students to conjure motivation. They’re just back to school after a long break and are staring at a long second semester. Many demotivating factors are at play at this time of year: It’s cold outside, it gets dark early, the holidays are behind us, and expectations at school are ramping up. 

Motivating students is an age-old question. In his book Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us, Daniel Pink interestingly explains that research has shown that extrinsic rewards aren’t as effective as we’ve been conditioned to believe. Try as we might, money, gaming consoles, iPhones, special dinners, etc., aren’t lasting motivators. Rather, he goes on to explain, it’s autonomy, mastery, and a sense of purpose that get our motivational juices flowing. 

So how do parents and educators help students find that internal drive? It’s not a simple proposition! Reframing our thinking on student motivation isn’t a quick fix, but it is a paradigm shift with lasting impact. Following Pink’s hypothesis, if we focus on teaching students how to learn and guide them to set short, attainable goals along their journey to achievement, we will be providing them with the foundational tools they need to gain autonomy and mastery, and find a deeper purpose to their schoolwork. In time, they will become intrinsically motivated students. It starts with a willingness to reframe our thinking on what truly motivates students and follows with a commitment to strengthen executive function skills. 

Daniel Pink’s book is written about business models, yet his hypotheses are relevant to education. If the topic interests you and you’d like to delve deeper, here’s a short and engaging animated summary of Drive.

Happy New Year!