Theories and Principles of Motivation and

its Impact on Teenagers and their Drive for

Success

Personal Project Process Report

MYP5 2016-2017

Word Count: 3443

 Table of Contents

Criterion A – Investigating the Goal 3

Criterion B – Planning 6
Criterion C- Taking Action (Achieving the Goal) 9
Criterion D- Reflecting 11
Citations 12
Criterion A – Investigating the Goal

Goal:

The goal of my project was to investigate a decisive factor in everyday lives, which is crucial

in determining behavior and outcomes. I wanted to understand classic principles and

theories behind motivation and how it can facilitate success. The intention of extended

investigative interaction with teenagers’ mindsets was to discover possible correlations

between my field studies and research reports. I noticed that some of my peers were

struggling academically because they lacked adequate motivation. It seemed that they had

not comprehended all of the complications of the rights and responsibilities inherent in

academic achievement and were not able to build successful relationships. It appeared that

they were using their finite resources, hence their energy and time ineffectively, which

sometimes lead to inner conflicts and even outer tensions as they received mediocre to low

results. The lack of agency was obvious in the poor attitude and reduced drive to succeed;

they were lagging behind in development intended to blame the system, claiming it was

unfair. To present this information in an easily accessible manner, I decided on a podcast

and against the original idea of a documentary. I did this because listeners and learners can

benefit from a structured summary of the main ideas anywhere, and are not dependent on

visuals. (Appendix G) Thus, teachers and parents could understand and guide adolescents’

behavior better, and adolescents could also understand and improve themselves

systematically.

The chosen global context is fairness and development. I believe that if everyone knew how

motivation works, then everyone can be taught and the playing field leveled, providing equal

opportunities. Because it is easier to access and share resources, such as teaching facilities,
this leads to conflict resolution, because rights and responsibilities are accepted. (Appendix

C)

Prior Knowledge:

I attended a Camp at Oxford, which covered a wide field of Cognitive Psychology which

attempted to examine and explain why humans think, feel and behave in a certain manner.

The two lessons in which we were able to conduct our own experiment interested me the

most, because I learned about the extent to which empirical scientific methodology is a

powerful generator of evidence-based data, the only guarantor of fairness.

One experiment split a group into two sections, and told one half that they would receive a

reward if they scored highest, and the other, were not given any particular information as to

any reward. It then became evident that, the group which had been given the prompt of a

reward scored significantly higher. The presence of extrinsic motivation as a driver fascinated

me and made me question and want to investigate it. The fact that offering a reward made

such a difference in effort and effect, suggested that development can be promoted by

strategically implemented environmental factors. This related with two novels I had studied

about social engineering: Animal Farm and Lord of the Flies.

Another intriguing aspect of incentives is the creation of different mindsets: fixed and

growth. An extrinsic stimulus became internalized and thus, an intrinsic motivation.

Similarly, the book 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens addresses a similar issue: environmental

success factors and how these must balance within an individual.

Research skill:

I availed myself to various skills and sources while planning, conducting, evaluating and

concluding my research. Firstly, I began collecting and funneling ideas, assembling a

conceptual outline of the principles and theories related to my inquiry, skimming, scanning

to orient myself and then reading and rereading, comparing and contrasting research

papers. I examined a research paper by Sandra Graham and Bernard Weiner which provides

a comprehensive historical overview of multiple motivation theories. This helped to narrow

and direct the scope of my inquiry to Hull’s Drive Theory, Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivations,

Lewin’s Field Theory, Expectancy - Value Theory and Attribution Theory. Each of these

theories relate and reflect on one another however slightly contrasted, due to different

hypotheses. This was exemplified in the shift from behaviorism based on the mechanistic

views that response is always a result of a stimulus, as shown in Hulls’ Drive theory where

behavior = drive x habit, and an outcome of bond – reinforcement.

This is when I became aware of major theories such as the Expectancy- Value Theory, Hull’s

drive Theory, Lewin’s Field Theory but also the idea of Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation.

(Graham, Sandra). While initially, historically, each of these theories dating from the early

1940s reference and build on one another, it was Lewin who shifted the standard and

conversation away from the mechanistic-behavioral theory to include a systemic view. This

introduced me to a holistic overview of the historical development of the identification and

evaluation of certain determinants of motivation.

The theory I mainly focused on seemed like an umbrella term for the other theories: Intrinsic

and Extrinsic Motivation (Richard, Ryan). This suggests that one can be driven by internal

factors or external factors. However, certain other aspects, such as disequilibrium also affects

attitude and behavior. The desire and effort to stabilize and harmonize inner and outer states
can induce to corrective actions. In order to personally verify these scientifically proven

hypotheses, I conducted interviews with a heterogeneous group of IB program students in

order to discover and be able to analyze similarities and differences. Interestingly enough,

they all expressed a similar idea and while many mentioned that goal setting is vital, they

also emphasized that for them to be interested in school work, a personal connection is

crucial. This revealed that extrinsic motivation is important but limited, and demonstrated

that Lewin’s Field Theory is accurate when suggesting that a holistic outlook motivates, i.e.

the entire environment, in this case of particular interest to us: the learning environment.

(Appendix D)

In order to conduct good research in this initial stage, I employed a variety of ATLs. My

research skill, however, including information and media literacy, couple with critical

thinking, proved to be decisive for discovering reliable articles in the morass of “fake news”

and biased authors making untenable claims to scientific arguments without any evidence

to back them therefore had to analyze and evaluate each source before using it by

conducting research on the writers, publishers, websites, institutions, etc. (Appendix D) It was

also necessary to check whether these theories were commonly found and they all actually

addressed and represented the same idea. (Appendix D)

Criterion B – Planning
Before creating this product, I developed criteria (Appendix E), which I was going to mark

my product against in order to see whether it was successful or not and also reflected the

global context of fairness and development.

It was important that teenagers were to a certain extent able to relate as this product evolved

around them and their manner of thinking. This is why I needed to be able to transmit

information which teenagers themselves can agree with so that after hearing the podcast,

they could comprehend and apply this information. In order to do this, I needed to interview

students, of which the majority should agree to for the product to be successful.

Nevertheless, adults also needed to have a greater understanding of what drives teenagers

and learn something new as this podcast should add value and not bore them. Adults should

be fascinated and indeed motivated to help their students/ children achieve better results

more easily and joyfully. Now in order to explain reasons behind motivations, it is crucial for

me to depict motivation. Thus, it is necessary to provide a detailed, descriptive definition

which can easily be understood and also reveals some possibilities behind different kinds of

motivations. The content of my podcast must be rich, so I will also need to be able to

establish three different theories and reasons for what causes a motivation and present these

effectively, meaningfully and “stickily.” I also needed and wanted to establish a correlation

between motivation and results, so that later, I could bridge to the second part of the project,

success factors. I wanted to link motivation with success also relative to the global context

of fairness and development, because success can and should not be merely individual but

achieved in a community, as well and contribute to peace and equal opportunities. I strived

to understand and then be able to explain why some people are successful and some are

not, even though motivation is present. This is important among other things because if

people are successful, they can create better resources to share and this agency and

resourcefulness can prevent conflict resulting from a sense of scarcity, fear and helplessness.
I made no major changes to my success criteria, however they had to be applied to my

podcast rather than documentary. Additionally, I dove deeper, while at the same time it was

important to leave the success criteria open to avoid cognitive bias. I wanted to be able to

explore various explanations behind motivation without having to be too descriptive and

more so, too prescriptive, as this podcast was supposed to be an enjoyable experience within

an ocean of digital distractions.

In order to create my product in the most effective and time-wise manner, I devised an

action plan with specific tasks and deadlines. (Appendix J) However, I also knew I needed to

build in buffers for other incidents as there would also be days when other academic work

took priority. I adapted to this self-managed juggling of old and new assignments by setting

and then completing small targets. This allowed me to spend short amounts of time each

week to get and stay on task. So no matter what the occasion, by the end of each week, I

wanted to be one step closer to my final product and have completed at least one journal

entry. I believe that this tactic coupled with my overall strategy helped me to stay focused

and to progress. I completed planning at once especially in my creative process when

brainstorming essential elements of my podcast and how to transition from each segment

to another. The first milestone was completing the research, followed by the second major

task: creating a script/layout for my podcast and then the third: completion of my product.

I used project planning tools and good self-management, and can confidently claim my

process and product are successful because they meet my criteria.

Criterion C- Taking Action (Achieving the Goal)

The product I created reflected upon my entire working process as my podcast addresses

theories formulated and promulgated by reputed psychologists and then using lateral

thinking bridges into their actual connection with teenagers. With the aid of an arsenal of

ATLs, I reduced a veritable mountain of information gleaned over four months of rigorous

research into a manageable conceptual slope and then simplified the remaining principles

to thoroughly demonstrate the correlation to my thesis: Teenage academic success is the

programmatic result of a carefully concocted admixture of social, environmental factors that

promote intrinsic factors within the larger context of fairness and development. However,

after identifying all these elements, I also reflected on other elements, e.g. smaller elements

which then quantifiably contribute to factors determining the element of success. Then I

reflected and elaborated on the impacts of habits and how these are actively formed after

one has become motivated and achievement-oriented, that is: well on their journey to

success. I am confident my product meets my criteria as it narrowly discusses all the

fundamentals comprising my project but also presents them in a manner that is easily

understandable by all age groups and in a way that they can directly apply. Transfer of new

knowledge into concrete lives in order to help students become and remain motivated is

the fundamental factor for taking action. The ATLs of recognition and acceptance are part

of the process of creativity and innovation springing from and reinforcing critical thinking

and reflection which lead to transfer and application. These processes all feed into the global

context of creating and maintaining positive conditions for fairness and development.

There were various challenges throughout the process of my project, e.g. actually unlocking

difficult academic literature. Working with such scientific and abstruse texts almost felt like

an excavation activity and was often tedious and overwhelming. I had never read erudite,
peer-reviewed academic articles before with the intention of later summarizing their

arguments and discovering their applicability to a specific group of people. This required

focus and the ability to convert sections into writing, I myself would understand. I had to

closely analyze the written text, and learn how to summarize them in my own words so that

I could integrate my understanding and identify connections with the teenagers that I had

interviewed. (Appendix D) The high-level interpretative tasks associated with emergent ATLs

refined my thinking skills. I had to be very critical of what I was reading and closely assess its

relevance and value. I had to objectively analyze my information, given in a written and an

oral form, and evaluate it in order to form my own judgement and conclusions. I had to

weigh and reflect to determine which sets of ideas are accurate for and applicable to

teenagers.

I also had to develop and apply multiple social and communication skills. These include

collaboration skills as I needed to actively listen to people’s perspectives and ideas but then

also find consensus by finding a connection between the written theories and my own

research. (Appendix H) I believe that throughout the entire project I developed as a

communicator, through the creation of my podcast. I had to organize and depict all the

information I gathered from research papers, and restructure it in an order which would

allow teenagers and adults to understand the theories behind motivation. I had to

communicate the various implications of theorists such as Hull and Lewis, but also the idea

of external and internal drives in a way that was easy for people to access and comprehend,

and yet still enjoyable. The intention behind my podcast was to communicate and spread

awareness on what causes motivations, which is also how I learnt to develop them.

Additionally, I had to engage with others by negotiating, in order to find suitable meeting

times, but I also had to pay attention to the ideas they were expressing. Furthermore, I used

intercultural understanding in order to make sense of differences in drives, momentum,

passion and directional activity which achieves concrete results. My final product was also

an effective way for me to communicate and express my ideas in a way that was

understandable for a larger audience without losing focus and deliberately expressing the

purpose – the meta-level of teaching the principles of motivation to motivate. And all of this

with the intent of contributing to a fairer society that provides more opportunities and

resources to others.

Criterion D- Reflecting

The content of my final product was very rich and reflected upon each of the individual

points stated in my criteria. It fulfilled all of its needs and deeply explores motivation and

how one can become successful, once it is there. Nevertheless, it could be said that there

are certain technical parts of my podcast which could have been improved. The information

presented satisfied the requirements and really created a deeper in-depth analysis of the

causes of motivation, and yet it could have sounded more professional. In critical reflection

of my product, I noticed that there are certain parts with slightly distracting noises created

by movement of the microphone. Because I was using headphones, my movements and

breathing caused some acoustic distortion. I attempted to re-record the worst parts, but,

nevertheless, compared to professionally mastered podcasts with high-end equipment, my

final product did not sound as professional as I had hoped it would. Nevertheless, it fulfilled

all of my success criteria. I showed the podcast to various Teenagers and the majority was

able to relate, by stating that ‘Especially the personal Connection was something I really

related too, because I honestly need to understand the value of something’( Salih, Clara)

Adults, also learnt something new, especially parents who were not as educated in the area

of educational and behavioral psychology, as they actually understood how a learning

environment can impact the children to strive for success but also that a desire cannot be
imposed upon someone but has to be brought from within. In order to determine if my

podcast was understood, the definition of a motivation was vital, which is well reflected on

in my product, as I clearly state a definition in the introduction to set a fundamental base

and to explain what is actually being explored. My podcast also clearly depicted different

theories behind motivations, including Hull’s, Lewis’s, an Expectancy-Value but also Intrinsic

(Be’nabou, Roland and Tirole, Jean) and Extrinsic Motivation Theory, which with help of my

primary research allowed people to understand how these impact teenagers’ success, yet

leaving success undefined. Overall, it could be said that my final outcome was successful,

even though there were some unpleasant technical moments. Thus, I learned to accept and

work within my limits and correct myself for mistakes in my steep learning curves.

The course of this experiment in project management along IB ATLs and learner profiles,

within a chosen global context while following the Personal Project criteria, has deepened

my appreciation of the many opportunities afforded to me and the teenagers I interviewed.

I gained greater understanding as to what can be considered Fairness and Development

within the smaller framework of personal achievement. I understood that issues around

rights and responsibilities as summarized in the expression agency, sharing resources, which

includes sharing ideas, motivation, success strategies, the relationship between communities

(such as private and public schools), access to equal opportunities, peace and conflict

resolution with respect to making success inclusive and achievable.

I discovered that because success in my global context can be a personal and internal

experience, there are values which arise from within, and while these can be inculcated, they

cannot be imposed. Development cannot be mandated, but it rather has to come from

insight and transfer, acceptance and application. It can be triggered within multiple others,

which is similar to the principle of Agency – an idea which leads to authority, security and

freedom, because this is how people can live self-determined lives. Development can be
considered the improvement within an individual, and can reflect upon how one motion

triggers another, just how motivation can be triggered and then success can be obtained. I

also gained the insight that fairness can be understood in a manner of it revealing equal

opportunity but also the feeling of balance, and how the need for fairness can stimulate the

development, just like a disequilibrium (Graham, Sandra) encourages the need for a change

and results in a motivation.

Throughout the course of this project I strongly developed as an IB learner while extending

my knowledge. I have developed more an inquirer, as I realized that obtaining results

stimulates new questions and extensions, as I realized that motivation and the drive for

success can be explained in various different manners, and I wanted to explore all possible

aspects of it. I have also become more knowledgeable, by learning how to grasp information

and report on it, but also form personal connections with people in my area. I realized that

I was addressing an issue which was of a large significance to the development of the human

race, as motivation pushes curiosity, which is what allows for new discoveries and innovation.

Thus, I started to engage with issues that does not only play a factor in a local but also global

scale. Additionally, I became a better communicator, as the purpose of my project was to

explain what energies our actions, to a range of people, which I did in a sophisticated yet

engaging manner. I learnt to collaborate with other people by listening to their opinions and

personal experience by personally interviewing them and converting this information in

order to spread larger awareness on common perspectives of the teenage mind. Overall,

this also lead to a more open-minded approach to an inquiry question, as there was no

definitive answer to this question as I found that there are external and internal factors which

all contribute to a fair development, and how we need to balance our environment and

relationships, in order for them to result in positive changes, thus success.

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