Motivation and Self-Regulated Learning

Department of Clinical and Social Sciences in Psychology at the University of Rochester, argue that people need three things to feel motivated: (1) autonomy, (2) competence, and (3) relatedness. Ryan and Deci (2020) describe autonomy as “a sense of initiative and ownership in one’s actions” (p. 1). As students begin to take responsibility for their own learning and become active participants in the learning process, this leads them toward having greater autonomy or learner agency and allows them to see a purpose in school activities (Mekala & Radhakrishnan, 2019). According to Ryan and Deci (2020), competence is a “feeling of mastery” and a sense that with effort, a student can “succeed and grow” (p. 1). Often with a new skill, motivation does not come from the task but instead from the learner’s successful use of self-regulatory strategies. When students can use a strategy effectively and see themselves making progress, they feel good about their abilities because they have a sense of mastery (Zimmerman, 2002). Relatedness, according to Ryan and Deci (2020), is facilitated when the school setting “conveys respect and caring” and the student feels “a sense of belonging and connection” (p. 1). Educators must ask themselves, “Are we creating an environment that cultivates motivation by meeting these basic needs or one that crushes motivation by ignoring them?”

Have you ever spent time with a toddler? They have so many questions and demonstrate daily an abundant supply of internal motivation to figure out the world around them. Where does this go when they enter school? Why don’t you see this same level of enthusiasm, wonder, and engagement by the time students arrive in high school classrooms? Intrinsic motivation, according to Ryan and Deci (2020), is displayed in activities where curiosity is present, like play. These activities “provide their own satisfaction and joys” (Ryan & Deci, 2020, p. 2). Intrinsic motivation links to higher performance in school, increased engagement, and higher academic achievement (Ryan & Deci, 2020). However, abundant research demonstrates that as students go through school, they lose intrinsic motivation to learn school subjects (Rowell & Hong, 2013; Ryan & Deci, 2020). To fix this, teachers should work on creating school environments that support students’ basic psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Research shows that educators support students’ development of autonomy and motivation by doing the following (Ryan & Deci, 2020). • Give students choices and opportunities for agency and ownership in the tasks that are assigned. • Explain why and provide a rationale or goal for each assignment. • Encourage effort and recognizing growth, progress, and success. • Provide hints but not answers (scaffolds) when students are stuck. • Respond positively to student ideas, questions, and perspectives.

All these qualities work best in a classroom low in control but high in structure. Structure is created in the classroom through clear expectations, support, responsiveness, consistency, and goal setting. In contrast, control involves working toward external rewards or to avoid possible anxiety and shame caused by mistakes or failure.

Educators cannot always create intrinsically motivating activities for students that inspire fun, interest, or joy. However, they can use extrinsic motivation to help students create identified and eventually integrated motivations, where students see the value in what they are doing. Ryan and Deci (2020) define extrinsic motivation as “behaviors done for reasons other than their inherent satisfactions” (p. 3). There are four types of extrinsic motivation (Ryan & Deci, 2020). 1. External motivation: Motivators that derive from external rewards and punishments