Self-determination is a psychological framework for human success and happiness. Today we’ll explore the second of three basic psychological needs required for self-determination and intrinsic motivation.
Competence
Seek to control the outcome and experience mastery.
via Wikipedia
According to the researchers behind Self-Determination Theory, we all are intrinsically motivated by a desire for competence. They further found that giving unexpected positive feedback increases intrinsic motivation, and that negative feedback does the opposite.
Choirs provide competence in spades. We repeatedly go from sight reading a piece to performing it in front of an audience, demonstrating our competence. The choir directors I know overwhelmingly prioritize giving positive and constructive feedback in the rehearsal process.
Contrast that with a typical high school academic classroom. Feedback is not unexpected, but comes in the form of grades or not at all. The opportunity to demonstrate competence comes from tests and assignments that are, by definition, extrinsic motivators – robbing them of any of the benefits of intrinsic motivation. Real world applications go unaddressed in favor of lockstep focusing on making the grade and reaching the benchmark.
Sports teams do also place a much higher value on competence than the typical classroom; however competence is really only demonstrated in the context of competition. To me, that is not the best vehicle for many students to meet their psychological needs and achieve competence. Indeed, varsity athletic teams often have a pre-season or pre-game cutting process that chooses the “best” players and takes away opportunities for demonstrating competence from the rest.
There are two more basic psychological needs that are required for self-determination. Tomorrow, let’s explore the second.