Forman Christian College University
Course Code: EDU 120
Course Title: Educational Psychology
Q 1 and Q 2 are claims about motivation, you are supposed to argue these claims and
present your opinion . In Q 3 you are asked about your motivation level in any course
you are currently studying.
Total Marks : 20
1-Example, a child may do chores not because he enjoys them but because doing so
earns an allowance and students who are extrinsically motivated may study hard for a
test in order to obtain a good grade in the course. 7 marks
Ans-
Firstly, a child who studies hard for a test does not necessarily have to be driven by the urge
to get a good grade because they want to. It could very likely be because of the fear of
parents. Children with parents who have high expectations from them, or parents who tend to
criticise their children very often may result in the child working hard to complete tasks only
so that their parents are satisfied with them. They may want to achieve the good grade in fear
of being scolded or disliked by their parents. And if the child is asked why they were working
hard, they will most likely say "for a good grade" and they would not say "because my
parents want me to get a good grade". Hence the response of the child does not have to mean
what it appears to mean. So even if the child wants a good grade, he/she might not be
extrinsically motivated because 'fear' is driving the child to do good.
Secondly, a child who works hard for a test may also do so because they really like their
instructor and do not want to let them down. The good grade does not have to be symbolized
as a personal reward that pushes the child to work hard. Instead, the reality of the situation
must be understood. The reality could be that the child really likes his/her instructor because
the instructor has always been kind, lenient and encouraging and the child does not want to
appear like he/she does not recognize how much the instructor has done for the students. This
feeling is very real and does exist in many students even if they do not enjoy the work. Hence
the influence of who assigns the work is very impactful. Similarly there may be students who
opted for their favourite course but do not care about getting a good grade or not only
because the instructor has always been extremely uncooperative. In this case despite of
having a reward they might not work. This is why we cannot always say the child works hard
to get a good grade as a reward.
Thirdly, the phrase "students who are extrinsically motivated" makes it sound as if we can
label a child as just intrinsically or extrinsically motivated. However I believe the type of
motivation depends on the age, situation, instructor, task and other factors too. For example
younger children may be extrinsically motivated sometimes and intrinsically motivated
sometimes because at that age they are very fond of achievements and are also generally very
curious. While people who are employed may tend to do job related work with extrinsic
Course Code: EDU 120
Course Title: Educational Psychology
Q 1 and Q 2 are claims about motivation, you are supposed to argue these claims and
present your opinion . In Q 3 you are asked about your motivation level in any course
you are currently studying.
Total Marks : 20
1-Example, a child may do chores not because he enjoys them but because doing so
earns an allowance and students who are extrinsically motivated may study hard for a
test in order to obtain a good grade in the course. 7 marks
Ans-
Firstly, a child who studies hard for a test does not necessarily have to be driven by the urge
to get a good grade because they want to. It could very likely be because of the fear of
parents. Children with parents who have high expectations from them, or parents who tend to
criticise their children very often may result in the child working hard to complete tasks only
so that their parents are satisfied with them. They may want to achieve the good grade in fear
of being scolded or disliked by their parents. And if the child is asked why they were working
hard, they will most likely say "for a good grade" and they would not say "because my
parents want me to get a good grade". Hence the response of the child does not have to mean
what it appears to mean. So even if the child wants a good grade, he/she might not be
extrinsically motivated because 'fear' is driving the child to do good.
Secondly, a child who works hard for a test may also do so because they really like their
instructor and do not want to let them down. The good grade does not have to be symbolized
as a personal reward that pushes the child to work hard. Instead, the reality of the situation
must be understood. The reality could be that the child really likes his/her instructor because
the instructor has always been kind, lenient and encouraging and the child does not want to
appear like he/she does not recognize how much the instructor has done for the students. This
feeling is very real and does exist in many students even if they do not enjoy the work. Hence
the influence of who assigns the work is very impactful. Similarly there may be students who
opted for their favourite course but do not care about getting a good grade or not only
because the instructor has always been extremely uncooperative. In this case despite of
having a reward they might not work. This is why we cannot always say the child works hard
to get a good grade as a reward.
Thirdly, the phrase "students who are extrinsically motivated" makes it sound as if we can
label a child as just intrinsically or extrinsically motivated. However I believe the type of
motivation depends on the age, situation, instructor, task and other factors too. For example
younger children may be extrinsically motivated sometimes and intrinsically motivated
sometimes because at that age they are very fond of achievements and are also generally very
curious. While people who are employed may tend to do job related work with extrinsic
