Research School Network: Improving intrinsic student motivation and autonomy in KS4 maths – Part 1 Maths teacher, Ed Marshall, discusses the research behind his work looking to improve intrinsic motivation and autonomy in maths

Throughout my first two years of teaching, I have come to recognise the powerful motivation that a ​‘carrot on a stick’ can provide for students. Whether it is the promise of a lolly for completing homework or the accumulation of reward points linked to school values, I have witnessed first-hand the positive impact that these extrinsic motivators can have on engagement.

However, I am increasingly aware that once students leave compulsory education and move into post-16 settings, higher education, apprenticeships, or employment, these external incentives become far less prevalent. Success in these contexts relies more heavily on an individual’s ability to self-motivate, take responsibility for their actions, and recognise the intrinsic value of learning beyond immediate rewards.

Students are often acutely aware of the reward-and-sanction systems that underpin many aspects of school life, both academically and behaviourally. This is evident in conversations many of us have experienced, in which a student explains that they completed their homework simply to avoid a detention, rather than because they recognised it as an opportunity to consolidate learning and deepen understanding. While the task has been completed, the underlying motivation remains externally driven, limiting opportunities for students to develop genuine ownership of their learning.

Research suggests that, despite their perceived benefits, an overreliance on rewards and sanctions can reduce opportunities for students to develop intrinsic motivation and self-efficacy (Deci, Koestner and Ryan, 1999). When every action is linked to an external consequence, students may begin to focus on securing the reward or avoiding the sanction, rather than striving for personal growth and academic improvement. This raises an important question: are students working solely for the external incentive, or are they developing the habits, attitudes, and sense of responsibility required to pursue excellence independently?

As part of a SSAT Leadership legacy project I have been undertaking, I have had the opportunity to trial several strategies with a Year 10 mathematics class. This cohort will be entered for the Higher Tier GCSE paper, although many students are currently working close to the Foundation/​Higher boundary. Previous reports highlighted a broad range of effort scores, and upon initially taking on the class, it became clear that many students viewed mathematics as an inconvenience rather than a subject in which they could experience success. I chose to work with this group because I believed there was significant potential not only to improve outcomes, but also to shift attitudes towards learning and encourage students to take greater responsibility for their progress.

The foundation of my intervention is Deci and Ryan’s (2000) Self-Determination Theory. At its core, the theory suggests that individuals are more likely to develop intrinsic motivation when three key psychological needs are met: relatedness, autonomy, and competence. In a school context, these can be interpreted as follows:

Relatedness
Developing positive staff – student relationships that foster trust, belonging, and engagement, while also connecting learning to meaningful real-world contexts.

Autonomy
Providing students with opportunities to make choices, contribute to decisions about their learning, and develop a sense of ownership over their progress.

Competence
Helping students to recognise their own improvement through purposeful feedback, celebrating effort and perseverance, and ensuring they understand the value and purpose of what they are learning.

Since September, I have worked deliberately to get to know students as individuals, from their approaches to deliberate practice and revision to their interests beyond the classroom. While this is something many teachers do instinctively, I believe we often underestimate its impact. Strong relationships help to create an environment in which students feel valued and supported, and are therefore more willing to invest effort in their learning (Koca, 2016). Crucially, such relationships can foster a sense of responsibility, where students begin to work hard not because they are compelled to, but because they want to succeed. Understanding students’ interests also provides opportunities to contextualise abstract mathematical concepts in meaningful and tangible ways. As such, I have begun to plan more deliberately for the use of authentic, real-world examples that help students see the relevance and purpose of the content they are studying.

I vividly recall feeling apprehensive about the concept of student autonomy during my teacher training, as I initially equated it with allowing students to do whatever they wanted. However, my experience over the past few years has shown me that autonomy is not about relinquishing control; rather, it involves creating structured opportunities for students to make meaningful choices and take ownership of their learning. For example, students may choose whether to complete deliberate practice on mini-whiteboards or in their exercise books. Some students value maintaining a detailed record of their work and take pride in producing a well-presented book, while others prefer the flexibility and low-stakes nature of whiteboards, which allow them to make mistakes, refine their thinking, and build confidence. By offering these choices, students are encouraged to reflect on how they learn most effectively and take greater responsibility for selecting strategies that best support their progress. This will become a consistent feature of lessons, alongside opportunities for students to influence the focus of revision and exam practice.

In my view, one of the most powerful tools available to teachers is purposeful praise, particularly when it recognises effort, resilience, and perseverance. While celebrating success remains important, an exclusive focus on outcomes can inadvertently reinforce the belief that achievement is determined solely by grades. By consistently acknowledging the effort students invest in overcoming challenges and improving their understanding, we can help them develop a stronger sense of competence and self-belief. Over time, this encourages students to value the learning process itself, rather than simply the end result. More importantly, it helps cultivate learners who are motivated by personal growth, take responsibility for their development, and become increasingly capable of sustaining effort without reliance on external rewards.

As part of my project with the SSAT, I intend to implement these strategies rigorously throughout the term. I will collect data through a student questionnaire, alongside my own observations, to compare the picture before and after the intervention. Towards the end of the academic year, I will publish a follow-up blog reflecting on the impact of these strategies and the insights gained throughout the process.

By Ed Marshall

Teacher of Mathematics – Durrington High School

References

Deci, E. L., Koestner, R., and Ryan, R. M. (1999). A meta-analytic review of experiments examining the effects of extrinsic rewards on intrinsic motivation. Psychological Bulletin, 125(6).

Ryan, R. M., and Deci, E. L. (2000). Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being. American Psychologist, 55(1).

Koca, F. (2016). Motivation to learn and teacher – student relationship. Journal of International Education and Leadership, 6(2).