I have continued my reading of Dan Pink's Drive and was enthralled with his explanation as to just how detrimental extrinsic motivation could really be on creative performance. As if I needed more painful reminders as to how much of a failure my second phase of action research was! What follows is an outline of these flaws and my simple paraphrasing of each point:
So, how does this all apply to our classrooms? As Pink later brings up, extrinsic motivators are not all bad. "For routine tasks, which aren't very interesting and don't demand much creative thinking, rewards can provide a small motivational booster shot without the harmful side effects." In other words, when the task in itself is short-term and mundane, selective rewards could actually do some good. Rewarding the first 10 students to put together their binders for the school year could result in immediate production. You would never have to do the task again, and the task itself is mindless. However, what research shows us about education is that you cannot in good faith reward important cognitive or creative tasks. Doing so would set up any educator for a classroom full of unmotivated students.
I want to now reach out to my readers. What have your experiences with motivation been like? Do you have any stories about developing extrinsic or intrinsic motivation in your classrooms? What lessons have you learned? Do you agree or disagree with Pink?
- They can extinguish intrinsic motivation. Quite obviously, extrinsic motivation erases any direct need for intrinsic motivation. After all, what is the point of creating that internal drive if you know you will be rewarded extrinsically? (Or, as Pink calls it, "carrots and sticks.") The point here is that both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation factors work as kinds of opposites. With extrinsic motivation, there simply is little to no room for intrinsic motivation.
- They can diminish performance. The theme that persists throughout the book so far is that it does not seem logical for performance to decrease with the introduction extrinsic factors. This is the business model that most people are familiar with (bonuses, raises, promotions, etc.). However, Pink quotes a variety of studies that show when extrinsic motivation is introduced to an activity, performance (usually defined by time spent and quality of final product) shrinks, often drastically.
- They can crush creativity. Similar to the last point, there is little to no room for creativity when extrinsic motivation is introduced. Rather than allowing for free-flowing ideas to occupy a creator's mind, the focus shifts solely upon completion of the task within the specified parameters. Creativity does not exist, rather, only the accomplishment of a predetermined task.
- They can crowd out good behavior. Many people often do things because it represents genuine behavior and thought. Pink uses the example of donating blood. However, extrinsic motivation has proven to crowd out this good behavior. Rather than achieving feelings of gratification, extrinsic motivation jumps in and becomes the sole objective. In the blood donation scenario, how does receiving money for donating blood become any different from getting paid for a task you maybe do not enjoy, such as work?
- They can encourage cheating, shortcuts, and unethical behavior. When extrinsic rewards become the sole goal, many find ways to receive the rewards as fast as possible, even if it means skimping out on certain parts of the task. This is especially true if the quality of the work is not being assessed. If you were to offer someone $100 for mowing your lawn in under 10 minutes, the task may be "complete" at first glance, but further inspection may reveal shoddy workmanship.
- They can become addictive. Think: if you give a mouse a cookie, he'll ask for a glass of milk. Extrinsic motivators have the power to create dependency, and even lead to expectations of greater rewards. Once you utilize a system of rewards in any setting, you are almost certainly guaranteeing the work will never be done for free, without reward.
- They can foster short-term thinking. It is difficult to use rewards outside of a short-term type goal. They are used to get immediate results. When you focus on the short-term, you progressively cloud the vision of the long-term, often making it difficult to foster any long-term interest in the goal whatsoever.
So, how does this all apply to our classrooms? As Pink later brings up, extrinsic motivators are not all bad. "For routine tasks, which aren't very interesting and don't demand much creative thinking, rewards can provide a small motivational booster shot without the harmful side effects." In other words, when the task in itself is short-term and mundane, selective rewards could actually do some good. Rewarding the first 10 students to put together their binders for the school year could result in immediate production. You would never have to do the task again, and the task itself is mindless. However, what research shows us about education is that you cannot in good faith reward important cognitive or creative tasks. Doing so would set up any educator for a classroom full of unmotivated students.
I want to now reach out to my readers. What have your experiences with motivation been like? Do you have any stories about developing extrinsic or intrinsic motivation in your classrooms? What lessons have you learned? Do you agree or disagree with Pink?