Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation: differences in gender and age

Abstract The motivational orientation is a critical determinant of the level and quality of learning. This study investigated the levels of motivational orientation and the possible differences between age and gender in 142 children of nine and 10 years of public school students. The "Scale of Intrisic versus Extrinsic Orientation in Classroom" Harter (1980) was the instrument used to collect the data. The scale was applied individually and read out by the researcher to better understand by the child. The results indicate: (1) moderate levels of intrinsic motivation in all dimensions investigated; (2) similarities in the motivational orientation between boys and girls; (3) the similarity between the ages motivational orientation. Moderate levels of intrinsic motivation presented indicate that children of this study show interest in the tasks and engage in the learning process.