Student Experiences of Extrinsic and Intrinsic Motivation During Assessment

• Author / Creator

  Schatz, Talia

• Often, one may think of assessments, assignments, and tests as purely extrinsic
  motivators and that students have no intrinsic interest or drive to engage with them. However, there may be instances where students are intrinsically motivated by assessment. It is important to illuminate the various factors associated with both extrinsic as well as intrinsic motivation during the assessment process in order to understand student experiences and to support intrinsic motivation. As well, it is essential to understand how students are intrinsically and extrinsically motivated by assessment, because both types of motivation have been shown to result in differing outcomes in learning and achievement. For example, students that experience intrinsic motivation learn better, experience higher enjoyment, and have better psychological health (Niemiec & Ryan, 2009; Wang et al., 2019), while extrinsic motivation is associated with lesser interest, value, and effort toward tasks (Ryan & Connell, 1989).
  This study aimed to investigate students’ experiences of extrinsic and intrinsic motivation during assessment. Students were asked to describe their experiences of extrinsic and intrinsic motivation during assessment through written responses to two prompts. A qualitative descriptive research design was used to examine students’ responses. As there are few studies that examine the relationship between extrinsic and intrinsic motivation and assessment, this study will contribute to filling the gap in the research literature. The results of this study will have implications for educators seeking to improve assessment practices, increase students’ intrinsic motivation, and mitigate the negative effects of extrinsic motivation.

• Subjects / Keywords

  • motivation
  • extrinsic motivation
  • intrinsic motivation
  • assessment
  • self-determination theory

• Graduation date

  Fall 2023

• Type of Item

  Thesis

• Degree

  Master of Education

• DOI

  https://doi.org/10.7939/r3-w95p-6f69

• License

  This thesis is made available by the University of Alberta Libraries with permission of the copyright owner solely for non-commercial purposes. This thesis, or any portion thereof, may not otherwise be copied or reproduced without the written consent of the copyright owner, except to the extent permitted by Canadian copyright law.