Syllabus coverage
- Explain intrinsic motivation
- Explain extrinsic motivation, to include tangible rewards and intangible rewards
- Evaluate the types of motivation
Part of the AS Level PE 8386 syllabus 8386.
Why motivation gets its own subtopic
Motivation is the drive that starts a performer, directs their effort towards a goal and keeps them working when practice gets difficult. It can come from inside the performer or from the world around them.
Cambridge asks you to explain the types and then evaluate them. Evaluation means weighing them up: what each type does for performance, for learning and for whether the performer sticks with the activity.
The two types are not rivals. Most successful performers are driven by both at once, and the interesting marks come from explaining how they interact.
Intrinsic motivation: the drive from within
Intrinsic motivation comes from inside the performer. They take part because of the satisfaction, enjoyment or sense of achievement the activity itself gives them, with no reward needed.
It is strongest when the performer wants to master the skill, enjoys the challenge or takes pride in improving. A player who practises their serve alone because they want to get it right is intrinsically motivated.
- Enjoyment of the activity itself
- Satisfaction and pride from improvement or mastery
- The personal challenge, curiosity and desire to learn
- Feeling of wellbeing after exercise
- A wish to prove something to yourself rather than to others
Extrinsic motivation: tangible and intangible rewards
Extrinsic motivation comes from outside the performer. Someone or something else provides the reason to take part — a reward, recognition or a consequence.
Cambridge splits extrinsic rewards into tangible rewards, which the performer can physically receive, and intangible rewards, which have no physical form but still motivate.
| Type of extrinsic reward | What it is | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Tangible | A reward the performer can actually be given and can touch or spend | Medals, trophies, prize money, a contract, sports kit, vouchers, a certificate |
| Intangible | A reward that exists only as recognition, feeling or status — nothing physical changes hands | Praise, applause, public recognition, fame, status, respect, selection for a team, avoiding criticism from the coach |
How the two types relate to each other
The relationship is the part students skip, and it is where the evaluation marks sit. Each type can support the other, but one can also damage the other.
Extrinsic rewards can build intrinsic motivation. A young player who wins a medal for effort may enjoy the sport more as a result, and that enjoyment then drives them after the medal is forgotten.
Extrinsic rewards can also undermine intrinsic motivation. If a performer is paid or rewarded every time they train, the reward becomes the reason they train; when the reward is withdrawn, the effort drops, even though they used to enjoy it.
Intrinsic motivation is the more durable of the two. It keeps going when nobody is watching, when there is no trophy and when progress is slow — which is exactly when adherence is tested.
Evaluating the types: performance, learning and adherence
Evaluation means judging each type by what it does. Use the three strands Cambridge cares about: performance (how well they do now), learning (how well skills are acquired) and adherence (whether they keep taking part).
| Type | Strengths | Weaknesses |
|---|---|---|
| Intrinsic | Sustains effort over a long period; performer practises independently; better for learning because they take ownership of improvements; supports lifelong participation and adherence | Slow to build, especially in a beginner who has no skill to enjoy yet; can be knocked by a long run of poor results or injury |
| Extrinsic (tangible) | Produces a quick, immediate rise in effort and intensity; very effective in the early, cognitive stage of learning or with young beginners; builds discipline where the activity is not yet enjoyable | Effects stop when the reward stops; over-reliance can make the performer participate only for the reward; large rewards can reduce intrinsic enjoyment; can encourage a win-at-all-costs attitude |
| Extrinsic (intangible) | Costs nothing and can be used constantly; praise and recognition raise confidence and self-esteem; socially powerful because performers value status, selection and respect | Needs to be genuine and specific or it loses value; praise given for the wrong thing, such as winning rather than effort, can create fear of failure |
Building intrinsic motivation: what a coach actually does
Because intrinsic motivation is the more lasting type, coaches work to develop it. These strategies are the applied version of evaluating the types.
| Strategy | Why it develops intrinsic motivation |
|---|---|
| Let the performer set and review their own targets | The goal belongs to them, so achieving it gives personal satisfaction rather than pleasing the coach |
| Give feedback on effort and improvement, not just results | The performer learns that their own work is what earns praise, so they value the process |
| Vary practices and let performers choose activities | Enjoyment and interest come from variety, so the performer wants to be there |
| Show progress: keep records, use video, compare with previous personal bests | Visible improvement gives genuine satisfaction, which is intrinsic |
| Teach why a skill or drill matters | Understanding the purpose gives the performer a reason of their own to practise |
| Create a supportive, low-fear environment | Performers take part for enjoyment when mistakes are safe to make, not to avoid criticism |
| Give responsibility, such as leading a warm-up | Ownership builds pride and a sense of belonging to the group |
| Reduce reliance on rewards gradually | Fading the rewards lets enjoyment and mastery become the reason for attendance |
Key terms you must be able to define
- Motivation
- The drive that starts a performer, directs their effort towards a goal and sustains it.
- Intrinsic motivation
- Motivation that comes from within the performer — taking part for enjoyment, satisfaction or a sense of achievement.
- Extrinsic motivation
- Motivation that comes from outside the performer, in the form of rewards or other external influences.
- Tangible reward
- An extrinsic reward the performer can physically receive, such as a medal, trophy, prize money or kit.
- Intangible reward
- An extrinsic reward with no physical form, such as praise, recognition, fame, status or selection for a team.
Applied to your sport
Cambridge requires you to apply this knowledge to physical activities. Use these as models, then write your own for the sport you play.
A swimmer who trains before school because she wants to beat her personal best is intrinsically motivated: the satisfaction of improving is the reason she is in the pool, not a medal.
A young player who turns up to training for the end-of-season trophy is driven by a tangible extrinsic reward. Performance may dip when the trophy is no longer on offer.
A netball coach praises a defender for her effort and positioning rather than the result. That intangible reward builds confidence and a wish to keep improving, which sustains participation.
Prize money and sponsorship are tangible extrinsic rewards. They raise training intensity immediately, but a runner who trains only for the money is more likely to drop out if the funding ends.
A player who was paid to play as a junior and now plays for enjoyment shows intrinsic motivation taking over from extrinsic — the long-term engine for adherence.
Flashcards
Click a card to flip it. Mark honestly — the tracker uses this.
Exam-style questions
7 questions, 20 marks. Write your answer, then reveal the mark scheme and tick each point you actually made. Answering honestly here is what makes the rest of the site useful.
Mark scheme — tick each point you actually made
Mark scheme — tick each point you actually made
Mark scheme — tick each point you actually made
Mark scheme — tick each point you actually made
Mark scheme — tick each point you actually made
Mark scheme — tick each point you actually made
Mark scheme — tick each point you actually made
Exam technique for this topic
- Explain questions want the type and its effect on the performer, not a list of rewards. 'Medal, trophy, money' scores one mark at best.
- Keep tangible and intangible separate and give one clear example of each in the same answer.
- When a question says evaluate, you must give both sides. A benefit with no limitation, or a limitation with no benefit, cannot reach full marks.
- Link every effect to performance, learning or adherence — it shows the examiner you know what motivation is for.
- In applied questions, name the strategy and the effect on the performer: 'the coach lets her set her own target, so the achievement feels like her own and she practises without being asked'.