Frank’s learning is based on effort compared to Jason’s, whose learning is based more fully on interest. As the
example implies, when students learn from interest they tend to devote more attention to the topic than if they
learn from effort (Hidi & Renninger, 2006). The finding is not surprising since interest is another aspect of
intrinsic motivation—energy or drive that comes from within. A distinction between effort and interest is often
artificial, however, because the two motives often get blended or combined in students’ personal experiences. Most
of us can remember times when we worked at a skill that we enjoyed and found interesting, but that also required
effort to learn. The challenge for teachers is therefore to draw on and encourage students’ interest as much as
possible, and thus keep the required effort within reasonable bounds—neither too hard nor too easy.