Motivation, Needs & Goals
What moves people from wanting something to acting toward it?
Retrieval Warm-Up
Without notes, write one idea you already know that might connect to Motivation, Needs & Goals. Then write one question the lesson should help you answer.
Essential Question
What moves people from wanting something to acting toward it?
Learning Objectives
Students will be able to:
- define motivation as processes that energize, direct, and sustain behavior;
- distinguish intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation, incentives, and goals;
- explain why rewards can sometimes support motivation and sometimes alter it;
- describe autonomy, competence, and relatedness as useful motivational needs without treating them as a complete explanation of every behavior;
- distinguish motivation from opportunity, ability, resources, and performance.
motivation
Vocabulary in Context
motivation · intrinsic motivation · extrinsic motivation · incentive · goal · autonomy · competence · relatedness · expectancy · value · opportunity
Substantial Core Reading
Motivation concerns why behavior begins, where it is directed, how much effort is invested, and how long effort continues. Motivation is not a hidden substance that people either possess or lack.
Intrinsic motivation refers to engagement because an activity itself is interesting, meaningful, or satisfying.
Extrinsic motivation refers to engagement influenced by external outcomes such as grades, pay, recognition, privileges, or avoiding an unwanted consequence.
These categories can overlap. A student may enjoy drawing and also value a high art grade. An athlete may love competition and also pursue a scholarship.
A useful motivational analysis also considers:
- whether a goal matters;
- whether success seems possible;
- whether the person has resources and opportunity;
- whether feedback supports competence;
- whether the environment supports some degree of autonomy;
- whether relationships and belonging influence persistence.
Worked Example / Synthesis
Two students both want to improve in mathematics.
Student A has clear practice materials, tutoring access, realistic short-term goals, and feedback. Student B has the same stated goal but lacks time, reliable transportation to tutoring, and a quiet study location.
A difference in performance cannot automatically be interpreted as a difference in motivation.
Psychological Scientist's Desk
Claim: “If someone really wants something, they will do it.”
Students identify hidden assumptions:
- equal opportunity;
- equal resources;
- equal knowledge;
- equal health and time;
- equal task difficulty;
- no competing responsibilities.
Data Lens
Fictional classroom study:
| Condition | Voluntary practice selected | Mean practice time |
|---|---:|---:|
| Choice of task | 76% | 18.2 min |
| Assigned task | 54% | 13.5 min |
| Choice + performance bonus | 81% | 19.0 min |
Students describe the pattern, identify what can be concluded under an experimental design, and explain why the table does not prove that choice or rewards affect every person identically.
Claims Laboratory
Claim: “Rewards always increase motivation.”
Target judgment: Unsupported as a universal claim. Rewards can change behavior, but effects depend on task, timing, interpretation, existing interest, contingency, magnitude, and context. Increased short-term behavior is not identical to increased intrinsic motivation.
Guided Investigation
Students analyze five fictional goals using: Goal → Value → Expectation of Success → Available Resources → Incentives → Choice → Persistence.
They must identify at least one factor that is motivational and one that is environmental or opportunity-based.
Independent Assignment
Why Do People Start? Build a structured analysis of one fictional goal. Explain intrinsic and extrinsic influences, incentives, expectations, opportunity, and one plausible barrier. Finish with the evidence needed before concluding that motivation caused the outcome.
Research Notebook Checkpoint
If motivation is relevant to the semester research question:
- define the motivational construct;
- identify a behavioral measure and a self-report measure;
- identify at least one non-motivational factor that could affect performance.
Academic Journal Reflection
Why can poor performance be weak evidence for concluding that a person “did not care enough”?