Motivation — REET CDP Notes

What motivation means

Motivation is the internal force and process that activates a person's behaviour, gives it direction, and sustains it until the goal is reached. Without motivation, no learning or task can be completed effectively.

Motivation is broadly divided into two categories — intrinsic motivation, where a person does something for their own interest or satisfaction, and extrinsic motivation, where a person acts for an outside reward, praise, or to avoid punishment. Intrinsic motivation is generally considered better for deeper, more lasting learning, but extrinsic motivation (like praise or a small reward) can also help get a child engaged in a task to begin with — both have their place.

Why motivation matters

Two children of similar ability can perform very differently in class, and the reason is often not ability but the level of motivation. A good teacher doesn't just teach content — they also understand what kind of encouragement (praise, clear goals, or a taste of success) a particular child needs.

REET gives weight to theories of motivation because a future teacher is expected to have practical knowledge of these theories to motivate children from diverse backgrounds and interests in the classroom.

How motivation connects to other CDP topics

It's useful to study motivation alongside 'Learning: Meaning and Process' — the reinforcement theory (Skinner) is really an extension of the operant conditioning theory of learning, which explains how reward repeats a behaviour and boosts motivation.

Similarly, attribution theory (Weiner) explains what a student attributes their failure to — if they see it as 'stable and uncontrollable' (like low intelligence), future motivation can drop; if they see it as 'unstable and controllable' (like low effort), they're motivated to work harder next time.

Major theories of motivation

Maslow, Skinner (reinforcement) and Locke (goal-setting) were all asked directly in REET 2024.[Source 1]

Intrinsic vs extrinsic motivation

Intrinsic motivation

The task is done out of interest, curiosity or satisfaction in the activity itself — like reading because you want to learn

Extrinsic motivation

The task is done for an outside reward, marks, praise, or to avoid punishment — like studying only to score marks in an exam

How Maslow's hierarchy is useful in education

According to Maslow, if a student's basic needs — like hunger, safety and a sense of belonging — aren't met, it becomes hard for them to focus on higher-level needs like learning and self-actualization. That's why building a safe, respectful and supportive classroom environment isn't just 'a nice thing to do' for a teacher — it's the first condition for effective learning.

This can be understood through the lens of Maslow's theory this way — a facility like a school midday meal meets a child's physical need, and indirectly helps them focus better on learning in class, even though such schemes weren't necessarily designed directly around Maslow's theory.

Using this in the classroom

Exam-angle notes and common mistakes

A frequent REET mistake is assuming that extrinsic rewards are always 'bad' for motivation. In reality, extrinsic motivators like praise or a small prize can be an effective way to get a reluctant learner started on a task, after which genuine interest (intrinsic motivation) can take over; the two aren't enemies, they just work best at different points in the learning process.

Another confusion is mixing up Maslow's hierarchy of needs with a rigid, one-way staircase. Maslow himself acknowledged that the levels can overlap, and a person doesn't need every lower need perfectly satisfied before any higher-level motivation appears at all. For REET's purposes, though, remember the standard five-level order, since that's exactly what the exam tests.

Questions asked in REET 2024 (solved)

Practice Questions

Frequently asked questions

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