Intrinsic Motivation and the Strategy to Improve the Student’s Performance

 

Intrinsic Motivation and the Strategy to Improve the Student’s Performance

Author: Santosh Kumar Biswa, Sr. Teacher, Damphu CS, Tsirang, Bhutan

 

            Children with orthopedic impairments should be well taken care of in the school and the classroom. They need unique educational needs. The teacher should be well equipped with the knowledge and skills to handle the situations to meet the students’ needs (Heller and Jones. 2003). Such students can be helped through Intrinsic Motivation in the environment where special services are provided (LaRose, Thoron, and Colclasure, 2021). Using specialized strategies through appropriate modifications, addressing health-related issues, using proper assessment procedures, modified curricula, etc. would help them get a better learning experience (Heller and Jones, 2003). Thus, this write-up discusses problems faced by students due to orthopedic impairment, intrinsic motivation, a strategy of intrinsic motivation, and its intended benefits.

 

Problems Faced by Students Due to Orthopedic Impairment

 

The disabilities in students with orthopedic impairments will have issues with their bones, muscles, and joints. It adversely affects their performance in the classroom based on the type of impairment they have (Hefley, 2020). The abnormalities can be genetic with joint deformities or cerebral palsy (Logsdon, 2021). Although impaired, their cognitive and learning abilities will be as same as the other normal students in the classroom. However, they face lots of problems during the learning process due to many reasons. Some of the problems faced by students due to orthopedic impairment are firstly, students with cerebral palsy will have difficulty in learning, as they would be having cognitive issues. Secondly, students with a fractured bone or short limb will have difficulty in meeting the attendance. They will often miss their classes due to the feasibility of transportation which may hinder their academics. Moreover, he/she would experience a behavioral change in the classroom. Finally, we can observe less class participation from such students during the activities. Such students should be included without any rejection and should be included in the least restrictive environment using different forms of accommodations and appropriate Intrinsic Motivation. 

 

Definition of Intrinsic Motivation and the strategy to Improve the Student’s Performance

Intrinsic motivation is the motivation in which external rewards are not considered. It is about motivating students to participate in any activity through curiosity, with the intention of allowing students to learn more about something (Dev, 1997). In other words, a child is motivated as he is rewarded from within.

 

Most lessons expect students to complete the tasks with limited choice. Mostly, students are expected to compulsorily complete the task, which is later evaluated with the set criteria (Dev, 1997). Such activity often does not motivate students but T, the teacher needs to design the task in such a way whereby students meet their needs. The teacher should design interesting activities that motivate students to learn and are motivated. According to Dev (1997), he stated that student gets motivated to learn if they find meaningful tasks. Thus, some of the strategies of intrinsic motivation to improve the student’s performance and self-esteem are as follows:

 

Firstly, the teacher assures that students feel education is a choice, not a requirement. He should encourage students by making them feel that they are doing their best and are making the right choice through the hardship they are putting in during their learning (Briggs, 2013). Secondly, the teacher helps students cultivate trust in their own success because by doing so, the teacher is preparing them to take up a challenge when they do the other activity. Teachers should never forget to make them believe that they have their personal worth so that they gain confidence. In doing so, the teacher should always provide real feedback based on their performance without making it personal. Moreover, the teacher should ensure that he stimulates students’ cognitive curiosity through various means (Legg, 2019). He can either present a question or a problem so that students are thoroughly engaged in making the conceptual investigation for their personal growth (Briggs, 2013). On the other hand, the teacher should spend time with students with disabilities so that they enjoy the teacher’s company and develop a sense of social values.  Next, the teacher should allow them to have ownership of the classroom environment through the development of a classroom community so that they learn to work together with their friends (Mulvahill, 2018). Most importantly, the teacher needs to use positive affirmations so that he can produce a positive mindset in the classroom by being a good leader (SpriggHR, 2020). Nevertheless, the teacher needs to know the unique interests of students and should promote autonomy in the classroom so that the lesson and the assignment meet their needs (Waterford.org, 2022). Finally, providing positive feedback reinforces them with the feeling that they can do better and encourages them to compete against themselves.

 

Benefits of Intrinsic Motivation

 

Definitively, intrinsic motivation leads to positive outcomes because students can meet their psychological needs effectively through autonomy and competence in learning as it connects students with something they value through inspiration (Workstar.com, 2022). Moreover, it leads to greater persistence and student engagement whereby the relationships are strengthened. Most importantly, it promotes relatedness making the students that they are connected and cared for by others (Harvard.edu, 2016). On the other hand, the learning efficacy of students improves with effective retention resulting in better performance (Team, 2021).

 

To conclude, in order to inculcate intrinsic motivation in the classroom, the teacher engages students to make them acquire internal rewards. The teacher helps students develop an interest in their subject and a love for learning that ultimately makes them value the very essence of learning for its merits irrespective of any other external factors (Waterford.org, 2022). In any English lesson, the child develops a love for learning vocabulary because he loves reading.

 

References

Briggs, S. (2013).  25 Ways to Cultivate Intrinsic Motivation. https://www.opencolleges.edu.au/informed/features/intrinsic-motivation/

Dev, P. (1997). Intrinsic motivation and academic achievement what does their relationship imply for the classroom teacher? Remedial and special education, 18(1), 12-19. https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/f364/a526307f73cbf8bbc44622d22449dcd5a406.pdf

Harvard.edu. (2016). Intrinsically Motivated. https://www.gse.harvard.edu/news/uk/16/09/intrinsically-motivated

Hefley, W. F. (2020). What Is an Orthopedic Impairment? https://www.drbillhefley.com/what-is-an-orthopedic-impairment/#:~:text=Orthopedic%20impairment%20is%20defined%20as,affect %20the%20child's%20educational%20performance.

Heller, K.W., & Swinehart-Jones, D. (2003). Supporting the educational needs of students with orthopedic impairments. Physical Disabilities: Education and Related Services, v22 n1, 3-24.  ERIC. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ678650

LaRose, S. E., Thoron, A. C., and Colclasure, B. C. (2021). Teaching Students with Disabilities: Orthopedic Impairment. https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/WC262

Legg, T. J. (2019). Intrinsic Motivation: How to Pick Up Healthy Motivation Techniques. https://www.healthline.com/health/intrinsic-motivation

Logsdon, A. (2021). Orthopedic Impairments and Special Needs Students. https://www.verywellfamily.com/what-is-orthopedic-impairment-2162506

Mulvahill, E. (2018). Understanding Intrinsic vs. Extrinsic Motivation in the Classroom. https://www.weareteachers.com/understanding-intrinsic-vs-extrinsic-motivation-in-the-classroom/

SpriggHR. (2020). Extrinsic & Intrinsic Motivation Examples – What’s the Difference? https://sprigghr.com/blog/hr-professionals/extrinsic-intrinsic-motivation-examples-whats-the-difference/

Team, G. (2021). Intrinsic vs. Extrinsic Motivation: What You Need to Know. https://www.glassdoor.com/blog/guide/intrinsic-vs-extrinsic/

Waterford.org. (2022). Intrinsic vs. Extrinsic Motivation: What’s the Difference? https://www.waterford.org/education/how-to-motivate-students/

Workstar.com. (2022). Five studies highlighting the power of intrinsic motivation. https://www.workstars.com/recognition-and-engagement-blog/2020/02/24/5-studies-highlighting-the-power-of-intrinsic-motivation/