This study aims to review theoretical perspectives in educational management, deeply analyze the influence mechanism of incentive mechanisms on middle school students' learning motivation, with a particular focus on the moderating role of individual differences, to design personalized incentive strategies aligned with the spirit of SDG4. Through theoretical analysis of existing literature, this paper first defines three core incentive mechanisms—material incentives, spiritual incentives, goal incentives—and key dimensions of individual differences including personality traits, learning abilities, and family background. Building upon this foundation, the article integrates Maslow's hierarchy of needs theory, achievement motivation theory, and the Big Five personality theory to construct a theoretical framework for analyzing the complex pathways of "incentive mechanism-individual differences -learning motivation." This study argues that the impact of incentive mechanisms on learning motivation is not universal, but rather significantly moderated by individual differences. Effective educational management must transcend a "one-size-fits-all" incentive model and shift toward personalized, differentiated incentive strategies based on student characteristics. This research provides a theoretical perspective for deepening understanding of the complexities of incentive mechanisms and lays the groundwork for future localized empirical research and optimization of incentive systems in educational practice.