Phase-dependent use of extrinsic rewards and external support to start up and then protect the self-rewarding learning cycle¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · 5 claims (5 for) · 9 studies (4 review, 2 quant-synthesis, 2 theoretical, 1 causal), q1–q4 · 1 of 9 report an effect size · 4 claims rest on one study

Description¶

The article recommends that extrinsic incentives or external supports can help "start-up" the knowledge-acquisition system when students are in the initial stage and do not yet feel sufficient reward value, but once students are deeply engaged the feedback loop generates internal rewards and extrinsic rewards may shift attention away and break the self-rewarding cycle. Effectiveness of extrinsic rewards therefore depends on the phase of students' task engagement, and educators should make appropriate adjustments with slightly more belief in students' capacity to self-sustain engagement.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• External support or incentives are needed at the initial stage when the value of knowledge acquisition is not well developed

Constraints¶

• The undermining effect is conditional on factors such as the task being interesting to participants and rewards being contingent on task performance

Target Learners¶

• school students
• students in initial stages of task engagement

Target Learning Goals¶

• sustained task engagement
• interest development

Affordances¶

• Reward Learning Framework Autonomous Knowledge Acquisition

Claims¶

• External rewards can undermine intrinsic motivation for learners who are already motivated [+W]
• Expected tangible rewards reduce later free-choice engagement with a rewarded task, while verbal praise does not [+S]
• The article argues extrinsic rewards such as grades can reduce intrinsic motivation and should be phased out [+W]
• Extrinsic rewards deplete intrinsic motivation for already-motivated activities once the rewards are removed [+W]
• Rewards cause people to lose interest in whatever they were rewarded for doing, undermining intrinsic motivation [+W]

Related Strategies¶

• Instill Intrinsic Motivation

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• Kou Murayama, Lily FitzGibbon & Michiko Sakaki. (2019). Process Account of Curiosity and Interest: A Reward-Learning Perspective. Educational Psychology Review. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-019-09499-9