Rethinking Rewards and Punishments

The Washington Post's Shankar Vadanram discusses some interesting research on human motivation. In essence, he argues that extrinsic motivations such as rewards and punishments may not have the effect on people as previously thought. He cites research that shows that people who like what they're doing perform better than those motivated by extrinsic rewards and punishments. His point is a bit more complex, but as we look at motivating students, this is a worthwhile read.