Laura Stolz

Composition 1021.21
Professor Weyandt
12/9/13
Maximizing Intrinsic Motivation: A Personal Case Study with Recommendations to Future
College Instructors
Much research has been done on the topic of the benefits and drawbacks of intrinsic and
extrinsic motivation, specifically in regard to education. In the article entitled, Intrinsic
Motivation: Evaluating the Benefits and Drawbacks from College Instructors Perspective,
Simon Lei nicely compiles this research and places it in an educational context. What the vast
majority of the research points to is the overall superiority of intrinsic motivation over extrinsic
motivation in promoting student learning, involvement, and achievement. While extrinsic
motivation does have its benefits, such as working faster than intrinsic motivation, its effect
ceases when the reward is no longer available or attainable, and does not encourage actual
academic interest or personal enrichment. Throughout this paper I will be using this article and
the research presented in it to showcase how intrinsic motivation positively affected my college
Composition course experience and give recommendations with empirical support to future
college instructors of ways to maximize intrinsic motivation in the classroom setting.
Throughout Composition 1021, I was fully engaged in the course, not due to any personal
merit but because of the way the course was set up, taught and evaluated, which stimulated
student interest and curiosity. One major section of the course was devoted to reading stories
based on writing, culture, and education which we would then reflect upon in our Informal

Writing Portfolios. The flexible orientation of this assignment encouraged intrinsic motivation.
Because I had the freedom to write about whatever interested me (within certain limits), I was
more invested and actually came to enjoy the writing and exploration of my thoughts on certain
subjects in and of itself. Another reason this assignment encouraged intrinsic motivation was
because the larger, end goal (the entire portfolio) was broken up into sub-goals (the weekly
reflections.) As Lei states, When goals seem unattainable, instructors should implement subgoals at various stages of learning in order to help maintain a high level of motivationThese
sub-goals must be challenging and achievable to students, as well as be relevant and practical to
their lives (4). If the instructor had simply said Alright, 4,000 words will be due in 2 months,
students motivation would have nose-dived, but because the assignment was broken up into 500
words once a week, the goal became attainable, and therefore kept up students motivation.
Another part of this class that worked well for me was the readings and their
accompanying class discussions. The stories were interesting, easy to read, and promoted good
discussion. Both fiction and non-fiction were read, and some of the subjects included alcoholism,
domestic abuse, nature, writing, technology, immigration, and college. These are topics that any
student, whether adolescent or adult, has opinions about. The wide variety of subjects we read
about also made it more likely that students would find at least a few writings they really
enjoyed. It is also good just to be exposed to different types of literature. For example, some of
the readings I had read before, like the ones by Chekhov and Tan, but others were a completely
new experience for me, such as the Italo Calvino story, If on a winters night a traveler,
which was a super original reading.
Another large piece of this class was looking at poetry, which we did towards the end of
the semester. This was a turning point for me. Before the poetry unit in this class, I had never

really liked poetry, and now I realize it was because I didnt know how to read it. I was
approaching it like a fiction writing, expecting to get a clear message or plotline. Some poetry I
still dont like, but through this class I have finally come to appreciate certain types of poetry--I
even got into some Shakespeare! Some poems specifically that stood out to me were Revenge
and A Marriage. The first one I thought was genius because of how it was structured; the
reader kept thinking that the writer would eventually seek revenge on his enemy, but he never
did. The overall message, in fact, is one of compassion and forgiveness, not revenge. In contrast,
I enjoyed A Marriage because of its imagery. The poem makes the comparison that marriage is
like when you are trying to hold up a ceiling all on your own, but your hands get tired. Suddenly,
though, another person is right beside you, holding it up with you, and you take turns like this. I
think that is one of the things that poetry can do really well: create an image or idea about
something in a way that prose cant. I final learned the value of poetry. To quote from Dead
Poets Society, We dont read and write poetry because its cute. We read and write poetry
because we are members of the human race, and the human race is filled with passion.
Throughout this course in College Composition, I both engaged and motivated, and
overall had a very good experience. Never once did I have to drag myself to the computer to
complete the homework; I wanted to. And it is this kind of intrinsic motivation that instructors
everywhere should endeavor to inspire in their students. I have already mentioned some ways of
encouraging intrinsic motivation, such as breaking up larger assignments into smaller ones or
assigning homework that allows for creativity, but there are other ways as well. For example,
college instructors need to give their students an understanding of why they are learning a certain
subject or skill, and emphasize not only why the skill itself is beneficial, but why the actual
process of learning is even more important. By doing this, instructors will remind students of the

reason to be intrinsically motivated. It has always been important for students to value and
appreciate the concept of personal growth, enrichment, and achievement, rather
thanrecognition, good grades, and certifications for their future intrinsic motivation (Lei 4).
In addition, studies have shown that intrinsic motivation promotes student achievement far better
than extrinsic motivation.
Ultimately, the student is the one who must decide to put forth the effort of becoming and
staying motivated, but professors can help in that process. So if you ever feel like assigning one,
huge, year-end project simply because its easier, stop and think about the consequences it would
have on student motivation and learning. And instead of making strict homework boundaries, be
more flexible and allow for students creativity, because that is when amazing things can happen,
when students are not only allowed to be creative, but are encouraged to. Above all, try to instill
in them the following belief, No matter what anybody tells you, words and ideas can change the
world (Dead Poets Society).

Works Cited
Ali, Taha Muhammad. Revenge. The Conscious Reader. Ed.
Caroline Shrodes, Michael Shugrue, Marc Di Paolo. New York: Pearson Education Inc.,
2009. 819-821. Print.
Dead Poets Society. Dir. Peter Weir. Perf. Robin Williams, Robert Sean Leonard, and Ethan
Hawke. Touchstone Pictures, 1989. Film.
Lei, Simon. Intrinsic Motivation: Evaluating the Benefits and Drawbacks from College
Instructors Perspectives. Journal of Instructional Psychology 37.2 (2010): 153-160.
Education Full text. (H.W. Wilson). Web. 25 Nov. 2012.