How Do Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation Relate to Achievement across Cultures?
Intrinsic and extrinsic motivational orientations are differentially related to academic achievement and show different developmental patterns. Using a U.S. sample, Lepper, Corpus, and Iyenger (2005) found that intrinsic motivation was positively related to academic achievement, whereas extrinsic motivation was negatively related to academic achievement. In addition, intrinsic motivation declined as children advanced from third to eighth grade, whereas extrinsic motivation showed little change across this age range. This line of research (with Quin Yow, Mark Lepper, and Joanne Chan) explores these relationships in three different countries (China-Hong Kong, Singapore, and the United States), to examine potential differences across cultures. Preliminary results indicate that there are cultural differences in the developmental patterns of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, as well as in the relationships between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation and learning and performance goals.
