Advantages and Disadvantages

Advantages of Motivation

An individual's intrinsic motivation has many effects on how he or she learns.  Students who are motivated primarily by intrinsic factors are more likely to:  take the initiative to begin a project, focus more attention on their work, show more creativity in their work, persist even when things do not go as planned, find pleasure and satisfaction from what they are doing, evaluate their efforts using their own system of measurement, and reach high levels of achievement (Ormrod, 2008, p. 454).  Learners (or athletes or employees) who are intrinsically motivated will set, put in their best effort towards, and accomplish tasks and goals with little influence or incentive from outside sources.   

Ormrod (2008) states, "intrinsic motivation is the optimal state of affairs in the classroom" (p. 455).  However, students may possess both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation for a task.  And, sometimes one motive may appeal to both sides (Ormrod, 2008, p. 455).

Click here to read more on the difference of extrinsic vs. intrinsic factors and their influence related to athletes  (Hatch, Thomsen, Waldron, n.d.).

Disadvantages of Motivation


Vanderbilt University's Center for Teaching (click here) offers disadvantages to both intrinsic and extrinsic motivators that educators may encounter in the classroom.  According to Vanderbilt University, the following intrinsic motivating factors may be perceived as disadvantageous:

• An educator's efforts at increasing intrinsic motivation in pupils may require a great deal of time and planning.  And, the results of such efforts may not be witnessed in students for a long period of time, if ever.
• Since students are unique individuals, no one approach to fostering intrinsic qualities will work every time.

The same website lists disadvantages of extrinsic motivators.  They are:

• Extrinsic motivators sometimes serve as a distraction from the material being studied.
• It is difficult for educators to establish appropriate extrinsic awards (or punishments) for students' behaviors.
• Often these types of motivators are not effective long-term.  Once the reward or punishment is dropped, so is the motivation level of the pupils.
• Evidence suggests that extrinsic motivators may negatively impact the internal motivation of students.