How intrinsic and extrinsic motivations function among college student samples in both Taiwan and the U.S.

Abstract

To determine intrinsic and extrinsic motivations for work among college students, an online survey was conducted to collect participants' self-reported motivation and personality traits, as well as academic performance in samples of 310 American and 686 Taiwanese college student respondents. Data suggest that intrinsic and extrinsic motivations function differently in varying cultures such as Taiwan and the U.S., where Taiwanese college students’ extrinsic motivation was stronger than American college students,’ while intrinsic motivation may function differently regarding predicting academic performance between Taiwanese and American samples. In addition, the study demonstrated that diverse moderators of the relationship between intrinsic and extrinsic motivations exist in different cultures. Specifically, the relationship between intrinsic and extrinsic motivations was associated with the American students’ sense of self, but was moderated by the Taiwanese students’ recognition of student responsibilities. Viewing the results collectively, the study provides a nuanced understanding of different paths that students from different cultural backgrounds can follow to achieve academic success.

Keywords:

• Intrinsic/extrinsic motivation
• individual differences
• cross-cultural

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.