Motivation — Intrinsic and Extrinsic

This lesson covers motivation as required by AQA GCSE PE specification 3.2.1. Motivation is the driving force that makes a person want to take part, train hard, and keep going in sport. Understanding the difference between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, being able to evaluate each type, and knowing how overuse of extrinsic rewards can undermine intrinsic motivation are all essential for the exam.

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What Is Motivation?

Motivation is the internal drive or external incentive that leads a person to behave in a certain way. In sport, motivation is what makes a performer:

• Start participating in a sport or activity.
• Persist through difficult training sessions and setbacks.
• Try hard — give maximum effort.
• Continue participating over a long period (long-term adherence).

Without motivation, performers would not train, compete, or strive to improve. It is considered one of the most important psychological factors in sport.

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Intrinsic Motivation

Intrinsic motivation comes from within the performer. It is the internal drive to participate and perform because the activity itself is enjoyable, satisfying, or personally rewarding.

Sources of Intrinsic Motivation

Source	Description	Example
Pride	A sense of personal achievement and self-respect	A swimmer feels proud after beating their personal best time
Satisfaction	The feeling of pleasure from performing well or mastering a skill	A basketball player feels satisfied after executing a perfect lay-up
Enjoyment	Participating because the activity itself is fun	A footballer plays in a Sunday league because they love the game
Personal challenge	The desire to test oneself and push personal limits	A climber attempts a more difficult route to challenge themselves
Self-fulfilment	The feeling of becoming the best version of oneself	A gymnast dedicates years of training to perfect their floor routine because it matters to them personally

Characteristics of Intrinsic Motivation

• It comes from within — no external reward is needed.
• It is self-sustaining — performers who are intrinsically motivated tend to continue participating even without prizes or praise.
• It leads to long-term participation — because the performer genuinely enjoys the activity.
• It is associated with higher-quality performance — performers who are intrinsically motivated tend to try harder and be more focused.
• It is linked to personal improvement — intrinsically motivated performers focus on getting better rather than on winning rewards.

Sporting Example: A long-distance runner who trains every morning, even in bad weather, because they love the feeling of running, the personal challenge of improving their time, and the sense of accomplishment after a hard session. They do not need a trophy or prize money to motivate them.

Exam Tip: Intrinsic motivation is considered more effective and more sustainable than extrinsic motivation in the long term. This is a key evaluation point that examiners look for.

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Extrinsic Motivation

Extrinsic motivation comes from outside the performer. It involves external rewards or incentives that encourage participation and effort.

AQA divides extrinsic motivation into two categories: tangible and intangible rewards.

Tangible Rewards

Tangible rewards are physical, material rewards that the performer can see and touch.

Tangible Reward	Example
Trophies	Winning a cup at the end of a tournament
Medals	Receiving a gold medal at the Olympics
Certificates	A swimming badge for completing a distance
Prize money	A professional footballer's bonus for winning a match
Kit or equipment	A sponsored athlete receiving free trainers

Intangible Rewards

Intangible rewards are non-physical rewards that the performer cannot touch but which still motivate them.

Intangible Reward	Example
Praise	A coach saying "Brilliant pass — well done"
Recognition	Being named player of the match
Applause	The crowd clapping after a good performance
Fame	A professional athlete becoming well known
Feedback	A teacher saying "Your technique has really improved"

Summary Table: Tangible vs Intangible

Feature	Tangible Rewards	Intangible Rewards
Physical?	Yes — can be seen and touched	No — cannot be physically held
Examples	Trophies, medals, money, certificates	Praise, recognition, applause, fame
Durability	The reward lasts (the trophy sits on a shelf)	The effect is temporary (praise fades)

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Comparing Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation

Feature	Intrinsic Motivation	Extrinsic Motivation
Source	From within the performer	From an external source
Examples	Pride, satisfaction, enjoyment, personal challenge	Trophies, medals, money (tangible); praise, recognition (intangible)
Sustainability	Long-lasting — the performer continues because they enjoy it	May be short-lived — once the reward is removed, motivation may drop
Effect on participation	Leads to long-term participation	Useful for getting people started or maintaining effort in the short term
Quality of effort	Tends to produce higher effort and focus	May produce effort only when a reward is available

graph TD
    A["MOTIVATION"] --> B["Intrinsic"]
    A --> C["Extrinsic"]
    B --> D["From within the performer"]
    D --> E["Pride"]
    D --> F["Satisfaction"]
    D --> G["Enjoyment"]
    D --> H["Personal challenge"]
    C --> I["From outside the performer"]
    I --> J["Tangible"]
    I --> K["Intangible"]
    J --> L["Trophies, medals,<br/>money, certificates"]
    K --> M["Praise, recognition,<br/>applause, fame"]

    style A fill:#2c3e50,color:#fff
    style B fill:#27ae60,color:#fff
    style C fill:#2980b9,color:#fff
    style D fill:#2ecc71,color:#fff
    style E fill:#82e0aa,color:#000
    style F fill:#82e0aa,color:#000
    style G fill:#82e0aa,color:#000
    style H fill:#82e0aa,color:#000
    style I fill:#3498db,color:#fff
    style J fill:#5dade2,color:#fff
    style K fill:#5dade2,color:#fff
    style L fill:#aed6f1,color:#000
    style M fill:#aed6f1,color:#000

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Evaluating Intrinsic Motivation

Advantages:

• More sustainable in the long term — the performer participates because they want to, not because of an external reward.
• Leads to higher-quality effort — performers who are intrinsically motivated tend to push themselves harder.
• Not dependent on external factors — the motivation comes from within, so it is always available.
• Associated with greater enjoyment and well-being.

Disadvantages:

• Not all performers are naturally intrinsically motivated, especially beginners who have not yet discovered the enjoyment of the sport.
• It can take time to develop — a performer may need extrinsic rewards initially before developing intrinsic motivation.
• Difficult to measure or control — a coach cannot "give" a performer intrinsic motivation.

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Evaluating Extrinsic Motivation