Factors Affecting Intrinsic Motivation among University Students in Taiwan

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Abstract
The effects of the Protestant work ethic and performance feedback on intrinsic motivation were examined in a sample of university students in Taiwan. Subjects were divided into three groups reflecting high, intermediate, and low work ethic by using a three-way split of their scores on the Protestant work ethic measure. Bogus performance feedback was given at random. Low work ethic subjects who received negative feedback spent the greatest amount of their free-choice time on the experimental task. The behavior of high work ethic subjects in the free-choice period was not affected by performance feedback. Intermediate work ethic subjects who received positive feedback allocated more free-choice time to the task than did those who received negative feedback. The results suggest that students with a low work ethic exert more effort when they are challenged.