Motivating Students through Competition Maddy Halbach, PhD, NBCT

Motivation Motivations eight forces are gregariousness, autonomy, status, inquisitiveness, aggression, power, recognition, and affiliation. (Lavoie, 2007) Intrinsic vs. extrinsic motivation Pink (2009) too much value on extrinsic motivators -- money, praise, and grades and too little value on intrinsic motivation. Its different for the 21st century Three drivers that shape human behavior – Safety, reward and punishment, intrinsic motivation – autonomy, mastery, and purpose.

Enhancing Motivation Malone and Lepper (1987) “motivation can be enhanced through challenge, curiosity, control, recognition, competition and cooperation” Learning that is fun appears to be more effective (Lepper & Cordova, 1992). Offers “Play” - mix of physical, social, emotional, and intellectual rewards at all stages of life (Eberle, 2014 p.217) “Play is self-chosen and self-directed; play is an activity in which means are more valued than ends; play has structure, or rules, which are not dictated by physical necessity but emanate from the minds of the players; play is imaginative, non-literal, mentally removed in some way from ‘real’ or ‘serious’ life; and play involves an active, alert, but non-stressed frame of mind.” (Grey, 2008)

Competition and Games Quinn (1994) states that for games to benefit educational practice and learning, they need to combine fun elements with aspects of instructional design that include motivational, learning and interactive components. Competition can enhance learning. Provided it offers a challenge, control/self-determination, and curiosity. Game theory suggests that in a competition, players or agents participate in strategic interactions to produce outcomes or decisions whereby one player gains a relative advantage in a zero- sum, rational world (Ross 2010).

Public Speaking Learning communication skills Public speaking or debate can be considered play. It represents a form of high-level, intellectual play that involves critical thinking, skillful speaking, and a thorough knowledge of subject matter. The marriage of these skills produces a form of play that offers participants and observers an experience some consider thrilling, others believe daunting, but all think of as fun. (Bartanen and Littlefield, 2015).

H & R Block Budgeting Challenge Scholarships Compete nationally Individually challenging Evokes Curiosity Independent thoughts and applied skills

Geni Revolution Individually challenging Team creation and cooperation In class competition Appling skill set Promotes discussion

Stock Market Game Compete nationally Individually challenging Evokes Curiosity Independent thoughts and applied skills Team creation and cooperation In class competition Promotes discussion

Personal Finance Challenge Opportunity for students to work with a mentor from the financial industry Compete for team placement Compete at state and national levels Prizes Promotes - autonomy, mastery, and purpose

Econ Low Down Economic online program from the St. Louis Federal Reserve. 21st Century learning skills - autonomy, mastery, and purpose

References Eberle, Scott G. 2014. “The Elements of Play: Toward a Philosophy and a Definition of Play.” American Journal of Play 6:214–33. Gray, Peter. “The Value of Play I: The Definition of Play Gives Insights,” Freedom to Learn (blog), Psychology Today, November 19, 2008. http://www.psychologytoday.com /blog/freedom-learn/200811/the-vakue-play-i-the-definition-play-gives-insights. Lavoie, R. (2007). The motivation breakthrough: Six secrets to turning on the tuned-out child. Beaverton, OR: Touchstone Press. Lepper, M.R.,& Cordova, D.I.(1992). A desire to be taught: Instructional consequences of intrinsic motivation. Motivation & Emotion, 16, 187–208. Malone, T.W., & Lepper, M.R. (1987). Making learning fun: A taxonomy of intrinsic motivations for learning. In R. E. Snow & M. J. Farr (Eds.), Aptitude, learning, and instruction: III. Conative and affective process analyses(pp.223– 253). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum. Lombardi California State University Northridge Pink, D. H. (2009). Dan Pink on the surprising science of motivation. http://www.ted.com/talks/dan pink on motivation.html (accessed February 1, 2011). Pink, D. H. (2009). Drive: The surprising truth about what motivates us. New York: Riverhead Hardcover. Quinn,C.N.(1994).Designing educational computer games. In K. Beattie, C. McNaught, & S. Wills (Eds.), Interactive multimedia in university education: Designing for change in teaching and learning (pp. 45–57). Amsterdam, The Netherland: Elsevier. Ross, Don. 2010. “Game Theory.” In The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Stanford Center for the Study of Language and Information, 2010–. Accessed October 28, 2014..http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/game-theory/.