What Is the Best Way to Motivate Others? Why?

• In Event: Controversial Questions in Contemporary Motivation Science: Insights From the Leading Voices

Abstract

Objectives
The most controversial practical, classroom-based question in contemporary motivation science is, “What is the best way to motivate others?” Different motivation scientists tend to emphasize different motivational constructs, and these differences lead to different recommendations as to what works most effectively for enhancing the motivation of others. All recommended ways of motivating others are not equally effective, so what works best?

Perspectives
One answer is to strengthen the person’s cognitive appraisals (Usher & Pajares, 2008). “Can I do this?” People’s response to this question provides a strong clue to how they will behave towards a task. Feeling a sense of personal efficacy guides how people think, what they choose, and ultimately what they do. Those with high personal efficacy beliefs expect better outcomes, choose more challenging pursuits, and optimize their performance. This answer not only emphasizes one that predicts important outcomes, but it also emphasizes a motivational construct that is, potentially, highly malleable. Using examples from education, work, sports, and health, four primary ways point the way as to how self-efficacy can flourish or flounder. Recommendations are offered for how professionals can use these insights to support the self-efficacy development of those in their care.
A second answer is to support the person’s need for autonomy, which is a meta-need for authentic self-direction (Assor et al., 2020). Support of a person’s authentic self-direction enables that person to do what they truly want to do, thereby promoting optimal realization of other more specific basic needs and personal inclinations, which in turn promote sense of volition and autonomous engagement, well-being, sense of meaning and resistance to antisocial peer pressure. Recommendations are offered for how professionals can use these insights to support the autonomy, authentic intentionality, and personal agency of those in their care.
A third answer does not focus on supporting one primary, focal motivational state. Instead, this answer identifies jargon-free principles that teachers can rely on to promote their students’ adaptive motivation to learn (e.g., select appropriate tasks, scaffolding learning, show one’s own interest in the content; Patrick et al., 2003). These principles have been distilled from research that represents a range of motivational theories and use a variety of methodologies.

Summary
Contemporary motivation science recommends three best, evidence-based ways to motivate others. One way is to strengthen students’ cognitive appraisal, as represented by strengthening self-efficacy beliefs. A second way is to support the motivational resources that students naturally possess, as represented by supporting students’ need for autonomy. A third way is to create a motivationally supportive learning environment for one’s students, as represented by an indirect approach of not trying to increase students’ motivation directly but instead creating an environment in which students will find to be highly motivating.

Significance
Motivation science’s most practical question is, “How do we motivate people?” This is a frequently asked question, but the controversy lies in precisely how to do this.

Authors

• Ellen L. Usher, Mayo Clinic

• Avi Assor, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev

• Helen Patrick, Purdue University