Most of us are familiar with motivation, how quickly it comes and goes, and what makes us feel motivated or unmotivated. We know that once we are unmotivated, it’s incredibly difficult to feel motivated again. We know that motivation isn’t something that’s easily attained; you have to work towards it. Or, whatever you’re working towards needs to be motivating enough. School is something a lot of people struggle with. Academic motivation ebbs and flows for students. Some days are better than others, but why is it that we can be highly motivated for so many other things that are not school-related?
New neuroscientific findings have been discovered to support thoughts about motivation and its relationship to video gaming. Previously, it was thought that gamers are highly motivated to play and finish their games due to chances of fantasy, challenge, and curiosity. But, that doesn’t explain the attraction people have to “simpler” games such as bingo or Tetris. This attraction could be explained by chance-based uncertainty. The idea that the chance of winning a game is harder or easier impacts how likely you are to be dedicated to playing the game. Scientists have tested that the predictability of an outcome influences our dopamine (happiness) levels. Essentially, when the chance of winning a game or receiving a reward is at 50%, maximum dopamine is released and motivation heightens. This explains why humans are so attracted to activities that involve the element of chance.
However, this relationship between reward, chance, and motivation can differ in an academic setting. Most of us have experienced academic settings such as school or university. We know the struggle of assignments, completing homework on time, and taking notes. It’s been discovered that our natural attraction to uncertainty and taking chances reduces when it comes to education. Students prefer less academic uncertainty and deal with less challenging problems. When it comes to gaming, food, and other pleasures, people are more likely to be motivated to pursue those things because the element of chance is heightened. We, as humans, in these situations prefer things that have about a 50% chance of success. When it comes to academia, we fall back and aren’t as motivated to work towards it due to a number of factors from self-esteem to social failure.
So, it can be assumed that to be successful in a classroom, students need to be exposed to more chance-based activities and games. This strongly differs from the traditional classroom setting of doing your work and receiving a reward (a grade). These new findings challenge traditional values but hopefully, they can be adapted to provide answers to better motivation for students while adhering to a good educational system.
Source: Howard-Jones, Paul. "Potential educational developments involving neuroscience that may arrive by 2025." Beyond current horizons (2008): 1-25.
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