Balancing Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation in Basic Science Education in Osun State

Abstract

Due to the alarming rate of poor performances in science courses in the senior secondary classes which has been blamed on the negative attitude of the teaching and learning of Basic Science at the lower basic level. Teachers have explored popular motivational technique reinforcement to motivate their students for better results but the aspect of balancing the intrinsic and extrinsic motivation of pupils in learning Basic Science at foundational stage of lower basic school level is yet to be explored especially in Osun State, the study is therefore conducted to bridge this gap. The study determined whether teachers motivate lower basic school pupils (Children between ages 6-8 in primary 1 to 3 classes) to study Basic Science in Osun State. It also investigated whether the pupils were intrinsically motivated to study Basic Science and also determined how teachers sustain the intrinsic and extrinsic motivation of lower basic school pupils in learning Basic Science in the study area. These were in the view to solving the alarming rate of poor performances in science courses and boost pupils’ classroom experiences while learning. Survey research design was employed, the sampled population for the study was 20 Basic Science teachers in Osun State. A structured research questionnaire was developed and used as instrument for data collection. Data collected were analyzed using frequency, percentage and mean counts. The study revealed that teachers’ motivation for their pupils to learn Basic Science in the study area is relatively low and that students in lower basic school in the study area were not intrinsically motivated to study Basic Science and that could be responsible for low academic performance and low enrollment in science subjects. However, basic teachers are making various efforts to sustain the little motivation in the students through coercion, counseling and sometimes gifts.

Keywords: Intrinsic Motivation, Extrinsic Motivation, Basic Science Education, Lower Basic School, Pupils/Learners/Students

DOI: 10.7176/JEP/16-9-03

Publication date:August 31^st 2025