While gamification has been studied, applied, and sometimes contested within a variety of contexts (especially education and business), the concept of avatarification -- the utilization of virtual self-representations within a mediated environment -- is relatively new and has great potential for enhancing learning contexts. Building on previous work which suggests that people behave consistently with their avatars' characteristics, the present research aims to develop an understanding of how avatars can be integrated into student communication in ways that increase performance motivation. In a field experiment conducted with an undergraduate class, 229 participants used avatars to communicate over a 15-week period about class material. Results suggest that using an ideal-self avatar or superhero-student avatar augmented student performance motivation during the avatar-use task, but the superhero-student avatar unexpectedly hindered performance motivation in a task unrelated to avatar use. This suggests novel theoretical and practical implications for avatar use in education.