Internal Vs External Motivation

The main reason driving our actions and desire to succeed is motivation, specifically self-motivation. Up until the age of 7, children crave for new knowledge and learning. After that, they need encouragement to develop internal ambition and lifelong love for anything they do. As they progress thorough the various stages in life, they usually learn what motivates them and what not. We talk about internal motivation, when we learn as a result of our own interests. This principle is characteristic of young children who are driven by the desire to discover. However, when we learn because of a promised award or punishment, the motivation is external. This type of motivation becomes prevalent with older children, who learn for the sake of grades and parents’ expectations. Though both types of motivation influence each other, internal motivation is expectedly more efficient and long-lasting. Knowledge gained through internal motivation is more stable in comparison to external motivation, where knowledge is lost much faster. How to achieve internal motivation and the desire to learn with children? Which system of grading contributes more to the development of internal motivation – descriptive or numerical? These are the questions teachers often seek answers to.