MINT HILL, NC – What is intrinsic motivation? Intrinsic motivation is the desire to engage in activities because it is internally satisfying. Intrinsic motivation does not rely on external rewards for motivation. Rather, the person is motivated because there is a sincere interest to engage in the activity. This is different from extrinsic motivation. Extrinsic motivation relies on prizes, rewards or avoiding punishment. What can parents, educators and community leaders do to increase intrinsic motivation in the students that we raise, teach and care for? In the scholarly article “Making Learning Fun: A Taxonomy of Intrinsic Motivation  for Learning” Thomas Malone and Mark Leeper name several ways to increase intrinsic motivation. Malone and Leeper state that several factors increase intrinsic motivation. The first factor that increases intrinsic motivation is challenge. Challenge means that people are motivated when they achieve something that has personal meaning to them. The second factor is control. Control means that people want to have ownership of their own interests and goals. Cooperation and competition are also factors. Intrinsic motivation can increase when people are helping others or able to favorably compare their performance with others. Next is curiosity. Curiosity can create intrinsic motivation when someone is interested in learning more about a certain topic or when something inspires someone to learn more. Lastly, intrinsic motivation is increased when people are recognized for their accomplishments. Like and follow us on Facebook @KumonOfCharlotteMintHill and Instagram @kumonatminthill. Visit our website at www.kumon.com/charlotte-mint-hill to set up a free parent orientation at our learning center.