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Assignment questions

Motivation, Maslow, attributions and TARGETS

The source restriction is the constraint that shapes everything: answer from the attached chapters only. Bringing in outside theory is not extra credit here, it is off-brief.

Editorial process

Last reviewed · August 15, 2026

01

Four questions, half a page each, chapters only

The instruction to answer using the concepts in the attached chapters only is unusual and it is doing real work. This assignment is testing whether you can apply a specific vocabulary, not whether you can find more theory, so importing self-determination theory or a favourite outside model is off-brief even when it is correct. The other structural instruction — do not retype the questions, but refer back to each continually — tells you the paper should read as continuous prose while remaining obviously anchored to the four questions. Half a page each across a minimum of two pages is the budget, which is generous enough to develop one example properly and tight enough that padding shows immediately, so every personal example has to earn its place by illustrating the concept rather than by being interesting in itself, which is a harder editorial test than it sounds.

Two of the four questions have specific traps. On Maslow, the brief asks for an example of a deficiency need overpowering the need for growth, which is a precise relationship rather than a general account of the hierarchy — a student who cannot concentrate on learning because they are hungry, unsafe or excluded is the shape of the answer, and the point is that the lower need does not merely coexist but dominates. On attributions, locus, stability and controllability are three separate dimensions and the strongest answers give an example varying one at a time, since that is what demonstrates the framework rather than the vocabulary. The TARGETS question then asks for three of the seven strategies with an example of how a teacher would incorporate each into classroom practice, so the answer has to be operational — what the teacher actually does on a Tuesday, not what the strategy is called in the mnemonic.

Likely learning objectives

Inferred from the brief — check these against your own rubric.

  • 01
    Contrast intrinsic and extrinsic motivation with examples that illustrate the distinction.
  • 02
    Apply Maslow's hierarchy to a case where a deficiency need dominates growth.
  • 03
    Analyse an attribution along locus, stability and controllability separately.
Assignment instructionsQuoted verbatim

Read the full question

Review every instruction before using the planning guidance that follows.

Provide answers to 4 specific essay questions found below. Must be at least 2 pages—roughly half a page per question in APA format. Answer the questions using the concepts in the chapters attached ONLY. There is no need to retype the questions in your essay, but you should continually refer back to each to ensure that you stay on topic. Discuss and contrast extrinsic versus intrinsic motivation. Give an example of each type of motivation from your personal experience. Describe Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Provide an example of a deficiency need overpowering the need for growth. Attributions can be described in terms of Locus (“place”), temporal stability, and controllability. Give an example of a time you were not able to perform well on a difficult task (a race, a test, etc.). Analyze 2 attributions you made about the situation in terms of locus, stability, and controllability. Explain your answers. List and define the 7 motivational strategies that are listed in the mnemonic TARGETS. Select 3 of these strategies and give an example of how a teacher would incorporate each into classroom practice to motivate students. Discussion:Extrinsic versus Intrinsic Motivation Discussion:Extrinsic versus Intrinsic Motivation
Course-wide instructions that accompany this question

You must proofread your paper. But do not strictly rely on your computer’s spell-checker and grammar-checker; failure to do so indicates a lack of effort on your part and you can expect your grade to suffer accordingly. Papers with numerous misspelled words and grammatical mistakes will be penalized. Read over your paper – in silence and then aloud – before handing it in and make corrections as necessary. Often it is advantageous to have a friend proofread your paper for obvious errors. Handwritten corrections are preferable to uncorrected mistakes. Use a standard 10 to 12 point (10 to 12 characters per inch) typeface. Smaller or compressed type and papers with small margins or single-spacing are hard to read. It is better to let your essay run over the recommended number of pages than to try to compress it into fewer pages. Likewise, large type, large margins, large indentations, triple-spacing, increased leading (space between lines), increased kerning (space between letters), and any other such attempts at “padding” to increase the length of a paper are unacceptable, wasteful of trees, and will not fool your professor. The paper must be neatly formatted, double-spaced with a one-inch margin on the top, bottom, and sides of each page. When submitting hard copy, be sure to use white paper and print out using dark ink. If it is hard to read your essay, it will also be hard to follow your argument. ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE CLASS Discussion Questions (DQ) Initial responses to the DQ should address all components of the questions asked, include a minimum of one scholarly source, and be at least 250 words. Successful responses are substantive (i.e., add something new to the discussion, engage others in the discussion, well-developed idea) and include at least one scholarly source. One or two sentence responses, simple statements of agreement or “good post,” and responses that are off-topic will not count as substantive. Substantive responses should be at least 150 words. I encourage you to incorporate the readings from the week (as applicable) into your responses. Weekly Participation Your initial responses to the mandatory DQ do not count toward participation and are graded separately. In addition to the DQ responses, you must post at least one reply to peers (or me) on three separate days, for a total of three replies. Participation posts do not require a scholarly source/citation (unless you cite someone else’s work). Part of your weekly participation includes viewing the weekly announcement and attesting to watching it in the comments. These announcements are made to ensure you understand everything that is due during the week. APA Format and Writing Quality Familiarize yourself with APA format and practice using it correctly. It is used for most writing assignments for your degree. Visit the Writing Center in the Student Success Center, under the Resources tab in LoudCloud for APA paper templates, citation examples, tips, etc. Points will be deducted for poor use of APA format or absence of APA format (if required). Cite all sources of information! When in doubt, cite the source. Paraphrasing also requires a citation. I highly recommend using the APA Publication Manual, 6th edition. Use of Direct Quotes I discourage overutilization of direct quotes in DQs and assignments at the Masters’ level and deduct points accordingly. As Masters’ level students, it is important that you be able to critically analyze and interpret information from journal articles and other resources. Simply restating someone else’s words does not demonstrate an understanding of the content or critical analysis of the content. It is best to paraphrase content and cite your source. LopesWrite Policy For assignments that need to be submitted to LopesWrite, please be sure you have received your report and Similarity Index (SI) percentage BEFORE you do a “final submit” to me. Once you have received your report, please review it. This report will show you grammatical, punctuation, and spelling errors that can easily be fixed. Take the extra few minutes to review instead of getting counted off for these mistakes. Review your similarities. Did you forget to cite something? Did you not paraphrase well enough? Is your paper made up of someone else’s thoughts more than your own? Visit the Writing Center in the Student Success Center, under the Resources tab in LoudCloud for tips on improving your paper and SI score. Late Policy The university’s policy on late assignments is 10% penalty PER DAY LATE. This also applies to late DQ replies. Please communicate with me if you anticipate having to submit an assignment late. I am happy to be flexible, with advance notice. We may be able to work out an extension based on extenuating circumstances. If you do not communicate with me before submitting an assignment late, the GCU late policy will be in effect. I do not accept assignments that are two or more weeks late unless we have worked out an extension. As per policy, no assignments are accepted after the last day of class. Any assignment submitted after midnight on the last day of class will not be accepted for grading. Communication Communication is so very important. There are multiple ways to communicate with me: Questions to Instructor Forum: This is a great place to ask course content or assignment questions. If you have a question, there is a good chance one of your peers does as well. This is a public forum for the class. Individual Forum: This is a private forum to ask me questions or send me messages. This will be checked at least once every 24 hours.

02

Turn the brief into deliverables

  1. 01
    Four answers of roughly half a page each, at least two pages total.
  2. 02
    Personal examples for both motivation types.
  3. 03
    An attribution example addressing all three dimensions.
  4. 04
    Three TARGETS strategies with classroom applications, in APA format.
03

Motivation, needs, attributions, then TARGETS

01

Intrinsic and extrinsic, contrasted

Define both, contrast them, and give a personal example of each.

02

Maslow and the dominating deficiency need

Describe the hierarchy briefly, then show a lower need overpowering growth.

03

Attributions along three dimensions

Give an example and analyse its locus, stability and controllability separately.

04

Three TARGETS strategies

Select three and describe the classroom practice implementing each.

05

Keep it anchored

Refer back to each question in prose without retyping it, as the brief instructs.

04

Working inside the assigned chapters

Recommended databases

  • The attached chapters
  • ERIC
  • PsycINFO
  • Your course's educational psychology text
  • APA Division 15 resources

Search sequence

  1. 1.
    Work only from the attached chapters, since the brief restricts sources explicitly.
  2. 2.
    Note the chapters' own wording for each concept, as that is what your answers are compared against.
  3. 3.
    Check the TARGETS mnemonic's seven components in the chapter rather than online, since versions differ.
  4. 4.
    Draft your personal examples first and check each against the chapter definition before writing.
05

Reference shortlist

These are authoritative starting points, not a ready-made bibliography. A qualified reviewer must confirm that each source fits the assignment and supports the claim beside which it is cited.

Nothing here is cleared for citation until you have read it.

  1. 01

    A sense of belonging and perceived stress among baccalaureate nursing students in clinical placements

    Nurse Education Today, via PubMed · 2016

    Evidence that belonging and stress affect learning and confidence, which is the Maslow question demonstrated empirically.

  2. 02

    About Adverse Childhood Experiences

    Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · 2024

    Documents how unmet basic needs and adversity affect school performance, supporting the deficiency-need example.

  3. 03

    Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct

    American Psychological Association · 2017

    A reference point for the professional standards governing how motivational strategies may be used with students.

  4. 04

    Wealth Inequality

    Pew Research Center · 2024

    Context for why deficiency needs go unmet for some students and not others, if you extend the example structurally.

06

Review before submission

Common mistakes

  • Importing motivation theory from outside the attached chapters.
  • Describing Maslow's hierarchy without showing a deficiency need dominating growth.
  • Treating locus, stability and controllability as one dimension.
  • Naming TARGETS strategies without saying what a teacher actually does.

Submission checklist

  • Is every concept drawn from the attached chapters?
  • Does your Maslow example show domination rather than coexistence?
  • Are all three attribution dimensions addressed separately?
  • Is each TARGETS strategy paired with a concrete classroom action?

Use this guide to plan and review your own work. Follow your institution's rules and read our academic-integrity policy.

Written by

Aaron Bishop

MA, Education

assignment interpretation and research-methods coaching across disciplines

Aaron leads the EssayCrackers editorial desk. He works on how assignment briefs are read — what a rubric is actually asking for, and where students most often answer a different question than the one set.

Reviewed by

Dr. Nathan Cole

PhD, Rhetoric & Composition

Argumentation and thesis development

Nathan teaches first-year composition and directs a university writing center. He reviews EssayCrackers guides for argumentative soundness and citation accuracy.

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