You need to weave a narrative that places the learner at the center of something larger than themselves. The extrinsic rewards of badges and points need to be linked to an intrinsic benefit. When a gamification initiative fails to get results, it’s usually down to one reason: the game mechanics have been added on as an afterthought, without considering the needs of the organization and those of the learners. Linking Extrinsic And Intrinsic Motivation Gamification can be a powerful motivator, but only when it’s used as part of a robust engagement strategy. These critics say that this can’t sustain long-term engagement, and in a way, they’re right. That is, the learners complete the task simply to earn a badge, not for the satisfaction of gaining new knowledge and skills. However, critics say that it only creates extrinsic motivation, not intrinsic. There are several case studies proving that the addition of game mechanics (like badges, levels, and leaderboards) has a positive impact on learner engagement. This has resulted in an explosion of innovation from learning technology providers, introducing concepts like gamification. In the past couple of decades, the learning community has taken the issue of learner engagement more seriously, given its undeniable benefits. The experiment seemed to show that adding an extrinsic reward actually reduced the intrinsic motivation to continue. It was a different story for the test group, who stopped solving puzzles as soon as there was no more money to be had. In the second session, the test group was paid a dollar for each puzzle they solved, while the control group played for no monetary reward.ĭeci found that, given the chance to take a break, the participants in the control group would happily continue solving puzzles for the sheer amusement of it. The students were split into 2 groups and over the course of 3 sessions, they worked to solve puzzles. In an experiment to test motivation, psychologist Edward Deci monitored 24 students playing a game called Soma.
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The danger here is that this can have a negative impact on intrinsic motivation. Because extrinsic motivation is less complicated, we often focus on the tangible benefits for the learners. Unfortunately, this is much trickier to achieve. That’s only natural – we’d all prefer it if our learners enjoyed the process of learning for its own sake. When it comes to learning, intrinsic motivation tends to hold more value. It’s the genuine desire for the activity itself that keeps us going, not the prospect of a reward. When we’re intrinsically motivated, we seek to complete an action because of the effect it has on us internally. Intrinsic motivation describes the drive of internal rewards, like enjoyment, a sense of accomplishment, or the need to satisfy curiosity. In corporate-learning terms, the learners might not enjoy the process of learning new things, but the promise of a pay rise motivates them to continue.
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They focus on the outcome and what they can gain from the activity. Extrinsically motivated people aren’t driven by the action or behavior itself.
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If we look a little closer at motivation, it usually falls into 1 of 2 categories: Intrinsic and extrinsic.Įxtrinsic motivation involves doing something for external rewards, like money or praise. Motivation is the fuel that keeps your learners invested in their training. Do the learners enjoy the process and gain new skills because of it? Do they value the training enough to make the effort? If the answer is no, it could be that you haven’t given them the motivation they need. What we should be thinking about is desire, and behavior. When we talk about engagement, we often make the mistake of thinking about logins and completion rates. The trouble is that this has proven to be a very elusive goal, and many of these initiatives follow a similar trajectory: An initial, fleeting burst of interest which gradually tails off, leaving no lasting impact. Whether they opt for online learning or classroom-based training, learning managers look for solutions that can secure long-term learner engagement. We can all agree, however, that no delivery method can have an impact if it doesn’t engage the learner. A debate has raged for years about the best, most efficient way to deliver the training and ensure it sticks. Learning and Development professionals usually have the same mission – to help their learners gain the skills and form the habits that benefit the organization. Intrinsic And Extrinsic Motivation In Online Learning: What Are The Differences?