WHY?
A student keeps researching after submitting her assignment. Which question would you need to ask before deciding that she is intrinsically motivated?
You need to know why she continues. The behavior itself is not enough to classify her motivation.
Grades, merit pay, inspections and penalties belong primarily to which motivational approach?
Extrinsic / behaviorist.
A student joins Model UN because it looks good on her CV.
Extrinsic motivation.
During Lebanon's crisis, teacher salaries collapsed while transportation costs became extremely high.
Which motivational “foundation” was collapsing?
The extrinsic basics pay, security, working conditions and fairness.
A principal wants teachers to become more internally motivated. Name two conditions they could strengthen.
meaning, choice/autonomy, growth, belonging, challenge, competence, recognition.
Two teachers volunteer for exactly the same school activity. One loves working with students; the other wants the experience on her CV. Same behavior, same motivation?
No. One may be intrinsically motivated while the other is extrinsically motivated
A principal introduces a bonus for teachers who achieve 90% attendance. Attendance immediately increases. What has the principal definitely changed?
Behavior - Extrinsic
Later, she discovers that debating issues actually matters to her.
What has started happening?
Her motivation is becoming internalized.
Dollar incentives were linked to teacher attendance. Teachers returned.
What did this demonstrate that extrinsic rewards can do?
Produce relatively fast behavior change, such as increasing attendance.
A teacher refuses an additional responsibility. Her principal concludes:
“She's simply unmotivated.”
What would Arthur Combs challenge about this statement?
She may not be unmotivated; she may be motivated toward something different from what the organization wants.
A teacher says, “Nobody forced me to attend this workshop. I chose to because the certificate will help me get promoted.” Intrinsic or extrinsic?
Extrinsic.
Free choice alone does not make something intrinsic; she is doing the activity for a separate outcome.
Complete Herzberg's idea from the presentation:
“You're not motivating them. You're ______ them.”
Moving them
She signs up for Model UN the following year without anyone asking because she genuinely enjoys it.
Where has her motivation moved?
Toward intrinsic motivation.
In January 2023, promised incentives were not received and teachers went on strike.
What does this suggest about depending heavily on external incentives?
When the expected reward disappears or becomes unreliable, the behavior it was supporting may also disappear.
A Lebanese principal has almost no additional budget. Which is more consistent with building intrinsic motivation?
A. Threatening poor evaluations
B. Offering teachers meaningful choice in how shared goals are reached
C. Increasing inspections
D. Promising bonuses the school may not be able to pay
B
A principal sees one teacher working enthusiastically and another doing the minimum under identical school conditions. What concept from organizational behavior helps explain this difference?
Organizational behavior involves the interaction between the environment and the individual. The same environment can produce different behavior.
A school introduces increasingly strict inspections because teachers aren't complying. Compliance improves but resistance also grows.
What weakness of extrinsic motivation does this illustrate?
Fast behavior change
A teacher happily runs the theater club for years. The principal then makes it compulsory and includes it on her evaluation. She gradually stops enjoying it.
Explain the shift.
Her motivation moved toward controlled/extrinsic motivation because something she freely enjoyed became an obligation.
Some teachers continued supporting students despite salaries losing much of their value. They described responsibility toward students and even took on emotional-support roles.
Which motivational force helps explain this?
Intrinsic commitment/mission and personal meaning.
A school has limited resources. The principal gives teachers autonomy and recognition but repeatedly pays allowances late. Why might the intrinsic strategy still fail?
Because intrinsic motivation needs an adequate extrinsic foundation. Autonomy and recognition cannot indefinitely compensate for insecurity and unfair working conditions.
A teacher says:
“I don't particularly enjoy this task, but it matters deeply to me and I chose to do it.”
Intrinsic, extrinsic, or something in between?
It may be internalized motivation. Personal value has increased, even though enjoyment of the activity itself is not necessarily the reason.
A principal announces:
“Our new incentive worked! Teacher attendance increased from 60% to 95%, so teachers are clearly more motivated.”
What is wrong with this conclusion?
The principal is confusing observable behavior with motivation. Attendance may have changed because of the reward without increasing commitment, interest, meaning or engagement.
A teacher is paid extra to run a student club. Three years later the payment disappears, but she continues because she now believes the club makes a real difference to students.
Did the extrinsic reward become intrinsic motivation?
Not necessarily. Her motivation clearly became more internalized, but valuing the outcome is not identical to enjoying the activity itself. The important point is that motivation can move along a continuum.
If intrinsic motivation was so powerful that teachers continued working through the crisis, why did many still become exhausted or consider leaving?
Because intrinsic motivation has limits
You become principal of a Lebanese public school tomorrow. Teachers are exhausted, transportation is expensive, and you have almost no extra budget.
Should you focus on intrinsic or extrinsic motivation?
Both, but in the right relationship:
Protect the basics, then build from the inside.”