Question 1

Question: What incentives motivate children to learn?

How to motivate children to learn and to help themselves self-motivate is commonly presented in teacher training books. What is not clear is what the incentives are the children are being motivated to reach. To motivate an incentive is needed, because the logical response to the exhortation “Work harder” is “why?” As economists always say “Incentives Matter”. In business the failure to provide clear incentives is probably the commonest cause of poor motivation. Is the same true in the classroom?

Incentives can range from the abstract to the concrete and from the negative to the positive. Incentives range across a feeling of self-worth and satisfaction of curiosity, monetary rewards, peer approval, parental approval, long-term advantage, avoiding punishment etc.

For incentives to work, they must be believable and achievable. How do teachers choose which incentives to highlight and motivate pupils towards and also, how do they encourage pupils to self motivate towards the incentives?

To investigate this question would require a review of relevant literature, current practices and if possible questionnaires and interviews with pupils and teachers.

The Victorian view of motivation in school and life is summed up in
“Vitaï Lampada” by Sir Henry Newbolt

And it's not for the sake of the ribboned coat,
Or the selfish hope of a season's fame,
But his Captain's hand on his shoulder smote -
'Play up ! play up ! and play the game !'

The hundred years later, does this ethos have any relevance?