Intrinsic Motivation Modification

University of the People

Educ 5710-01
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Intrinsic motivation:

Intrinsic motivation can be defined as “performing a task because it’s personally

rewarding to you” (University of Rochester, 2021, para. 1). Intrinsic motivation can also be

defined as “behaviours as those that are engaged in for their own sake, in other words, for the

pleasure and satisfaction of performing them” (Deci in Jovanovic et al, 2014, p. 457). In other

words, it is the motivation to perform a task for the own sake of the task, as opposed to extrinsic

motivated behavior in which the individual performs the task for an external reward. With

intrinsic motivation, the reward is the completion of the task itself for inner satisfaction and self-

realization. Intrinsic motivation can also be described by what Csikszentmihalyi (1990) calls:

flow state. A state of focus on a specific task for the satisfaction of bringing it to completion, like

when a pianist forgets to eat for being too dedicated to their practice. This way, intrinsic

motivation can bring students with different difficulties to have enough self-determination to

overcome their challenges. For the purpose of this paper, we will propose and explore the

execution of an intrinsic motivation plan for a fictional student with an orthopedic problem. The

hypothetical student’s name is Laura.

Laura’s challenges in the classroom:

Laura is 15 and suffers from a rare case of fibromyalgia. This condition “causes pain in

muscles and soft tissues all over the body” (Brigham's and Women's Hospital, 2020, para. 1).

Laura’s condition is rare because it usually affects women from 20 to 50 years old. However,

even when she is young, every morning she has recurring pain on her legs that impair her

walking ability. Due to her condition, Laura’s parents and the school administration and her

teachers prepared an IEP, with accommodations for Laura to be able to attend her classes on

time, and to demonstrate her learning in physically challenging activities like PE and swimming.
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However, there was an aspect that the IEP didn’t consider. As this is a condition that affects

adults and Laura is very intelligent child, she is aware of the unfortunate situation she has to live.

She is also aware that she will live with this condition for the rest of her life, and thus her

condition has affected her in an emotional level to a point she is not motivated to engage with her

studies, or to improve her academic standing. In presence of this situation, her teacher proposed a

modification to her curriculum, in order to engage Laura in an intrinsically motivated activity.

Laura’s game:

Laura’s teacher knows that since the onset of her condition she has become more

isolated, expending most of her free time playing video games. The teacher also knows that one

of the most challenging situations for Laura is the occasional bullying she faces from her friends

both in person and online.

For the upcoming creative writing project, the teacher gave Laura an option: instead of

creating a story with the regular prompts and rubric the other students were doing, Laura would

cocreate a rubric with the teacher in which she will be evaluated for the creation of a short video

game to create awareness of her condition to the players. This project would require the

collaboration of the IT teacher, that would help Laura in the technical challenges of creating a

interactive experience.

Laura was immediately engaged: she created a rubric with the help of the teacher in

which she would demonstrate hitting the required standards of creative writing and Information

Technology, and immediately set up to design her games. Laura even expended some of her free

time working on said game.

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With time, Laura finished her game and later demonstrated to be more engaged in her

classes. Her peers loved the game she created, which led to better relationships and more

awareness in the classroom altogether.

Conclusion:

Like Jane McGonigal (NPR, 2015), Laura suffered a condition that impaired not only

physically, but emotionally. Both Laura and McGonigal used games to improve their lives,

however, the games were not the main element that caused the improvement: it was the intrinsic

motivation generated by such games.

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References:

Brigham's and Women's Hospital. (2020). Fibromyalgia. Adult Health Library; Brigham’s and

Women’s Hospital. https://healthlibrary.brighamandwomens.org/Library/DiseasesConditions/

Adult/Orthopedic/85,P00913

Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1990). Flow : The Psychology of Optimal Experience. Harper and Row.

Jovanovic, D., & Matejevic, M. (2014). Relationship between Rewards and Intrinsic Motivation for

Learning – Researches Review. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 149, 456–460.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.08.287

NPR. (2015). Jane McGonigal: How Can Video Games Improve Our Real Lives? NPR.org.

https://www.npr.org/2015/03/27/394918832/how-can-video-games-improve-our-real-lives

University of Rochester. (2021, June 29). Understanding intrinsic and extrinsic motivation - Emerging

Leaders - University of Rochester. Emerging Leaders. https://www.rochester.edu/emerging-

leaders/understanding-intrinsic-and-extrinsic-motivation/#:~:text=Intrinsic%20motivation

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