To thrive in the 21st century, children must be motivated to continually seek, process, act and reflect on new information.

Children today face an increasingly complex world. Covid-19 has presented the biggest challenge to education in decades. But this trend also includes the climate crisis, increased inequity and rapid technological changes. All children will need to learn and adapt throughout their lives. So education systems must prepare them for these challenges to set them on the path to achieve social justice, challenge inequalities and build healthy, resilient and prosperous societies.

Yet too many systems are failing to address this need. Despite huge increases in education spending, children are not achieving the desired outcomes. A lack of belief and investment has led to widespread demotivation of teachers and officials. Working conditions are disempowering and they receive a lack of support, poor training and weak accountability mechanisms.

These motivational challenges are hampering education systems from effecting meaningful change. But as education systems recover from the pandemic, we believe that intrinsic motivation has a key role to play in addressing them.

Teachers need intrinsic motivation to create the right environments for children to flourish. They need support to effectively, intentionally and sustainably improve their classroom practice. This correlates with positive outcomes for children, including achievement, engagement, behaviour and enjoyment. And it also supports teachers’ own wellbeing and job satisfaction and reduces burnout.

Environments matter for teachers’ experience of the workplace too. Contexts need to foster teachers’ sense of professional identity. If they do, teachers will stay, teach and grow within their profession. Role-modelling from school leaders and officials is also key. This ensures that the conditions are in place to build positive and trusting relationships.