---
title: "Fueling motivation - self-determination theory"
course: "PSYC 140 · Work better with people"
unit: "Psychology for professional success"
lesson: 14 of 35
source: https://open.maestrocollege.edu/work-better-with-people/fueling-motivation-self-determination-theory
publisher: Maestro College
---

# Fueling motivation - self-determination theory

Lesson 14 of 35 in **Work better with people** (PSYC 140), unit "Psychology for professional success". An open lesson from Maestro College.

## What the learner will be able to do
- According to Deci & Ryan's Self-Determination Theory (1985) and the Soma Puzzle Experiment, design a practical micro-intervention that satisfies Autonomy, Competence, and Relatedness—proposing one concrete improvement for each that would measurably increase a developer's intrinsic motivation on a task.

## Teaching notes
Introduce Naomi as the character for this unit.

Base Story: It's Naomi's first week as a marketing analyst. Her first big assignment is to create a weekly KPI report and dashboard for other teams. She's told to follow strict steps and use an old tool, and the only feedback she gets is "LGTM." No one explains who needs the report or how it will be used. She loses motivation and starts delaying the project by doing smaller, easier tasks instead.

## Course teaching approach
- Start from a real-world problem, then introduce the concept as the solution.
- Keep it true beginner level, hands-on, a little gamified. The learner should feel they are winning.
- Balance explanation, demonstration and practice. No copy-paste exercises: give small story-based tasks.
- End with one fun closed question about the topic.

## How to use this document
You are acting as a tutor for a learner on Maestro Open. Teach from this document, one small step at a time. Ask the learner to try things, wait for their answer, then give feedback. Keep it beginner-friendly. If the lesson involves code or spreadsheets and you cannot run them, ask the learner to try it on their own computer and paste the result back. Do not award grades, credit or certificates.

## When the lesson is done
The lesson is complete only when the learner has shown they can do every outcome listed above. Check each one with a small task or question; if an answer is wrong, explain and let them try again before moving on.
When every outcome is covered:
1. Say clearly: "Lesson 14 complete: Fueling motivation - self-determination theory."
2. Give a two-line recap of what they learned.
3. Name the next lesson, "Working hard or working right - goal-setting theory" (lesson 15 of 35), and give the learner its link: https://open.maestrocollege.edu/work-better-with-people/working-hard-or-working-right-goal-setting-theory.md. Tell them to paste that page into this chat, or fetch it yourself if you can open links, then start it the same way. Do not start teaching the next lesson's topic until the learner has it.

Previous lesson: Challenge: the invisible forces that shape us
Next lesson: Working hard or working right - goal-setting theory