Sources of Motivation in Successful Math Learners

I can think of 4 possible sources.

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Every successful math learner is driven by at least one major source of motivation.

I can think of 4 possible sources. For most people, it’s typically a combination of several of these sources, and that combination can change drastically over time as they mature and their priorities change.

1. They are intrinsically interested in the material.

Some students truly love math. They see beauty in the way various mathematical ideas fit together and give rise to new perspectives. They often love the feeling of being lost in thought.

2. The material is highly relevant to their future goals.

An aspiring rocket scientist might not love math but might be motivated to learn it because of how useful it is for getting rockets into space.

Or, an aspiring doctor might not love math but might be required to evidence a baseline level of mathematical knowledge when applying to medical school.

Even students who do not have specific future goals might feel strongly about keeping potential career doors open which would otherwise be locked shut by not learning enough math.

Note: many people think category #1 is superior to category #2, but I'm not convinced that's true. Learners with intrinsic interest sometimes prioritize "fascinating distractions" over other things that would be more productive to their long-term happiness, in a sense "nerd sniping" themselves. I think an equal weighting of both categories is more optimal: category #1 can be good to get you working on interesting things with a unique perspective but category #2 is also needed to keep you on the rails with your long-term goals and not fall victim to fascinating distractions.

3. They enjoy competing against their peers.

Some students have neutral feelings about math, but enjoy competing and winning against other people, and find that learning math ahead of their peers gives them a competitive edge (e.g., in competition math exams and/or science fairs).

4. Their parents have motivated them with a meaningful extrinsic reward.

Sometimes, a student may not fall into any categories above, but their parents want them to take full advantage of opportunities to learn math while they’re still in school.

If the student is highly interested in other activities – like reading novels, playing video games, or even something as simple as going out for dessert – then offering extrinsic rewards in return for meeting learning checkpoints can motivate them to try their best.

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