Teachers frequently employ incentives to promote excellent behavior in their students. Stickers, happy faces, small gifts, and confectionery can be used as rewards. While this method is widely used, it raises concerns about its usefulness and long-term effects. While rewards in education can be beneficial temporarily, encouraging intrinsic motivation through a constructive and cooperative classroom setting that stresses the importance of schooling should be emphasized for long-term educational excellence.
Proponents of rewards in learning contend they are an efficient method of motivating learners to perform higher. Students are given a genuine motivation to put in more effort, which leads to improved academic success. Rewards have been proven to boost the enthusiasm and involvement of pupils in the near run (Gavrilova et al. 236). Similarly, rewards can be an effective technique to promote the desired attitude and foster a positive learning environment in the classroom.
However, there are reservations about the long-term effect of educational rewards. Critics contend that rewards can foster an extrinsic motivation culture in which students are driven solely by the prize instead of a genuine passion for education. This can lead to a reliance on incentives and a decrease in intrinsic motivation, both of which are necessary for long-term educational excellence. Moreover, rewards can foster a feeling of competition among students, which is harmful to the cooperative learning atmosphere.
Extrinsic rewards have been shown in studies to reduce intrinsic drive. Gavrilova et al. (2019) investigated the impacts of monetary rewards on intrinsic motivation for activities involving autonomy, such as overcoming challenges or writing stories. Extrinsic rewards considerably lowered the innate drive for these activities, and this impact was mediated by a psychological compulsion to succeed for the reward. The research backs up the claim that extrinsic rewards can hinder intrinsic motivation and that self-determination and relatedness should be encouraged to facilitate intrinsic motivation.
Another issue with educational rewards is that they may not be uniformly successful for all students. Students who already feel stimulated or have a good mindset toward learning may react more effectively to incentives, whereas learners who are having trouble or have a hostile perception toward studying may not yield rewards. Furthermore, rewards can foster a feeling of entitlement in students, who expect to be awarded for every job completed, resulting in the absence of gratitude for the importance of education. While incentives can be helpful for short-term purposes, their long-term influence on learner enthusiasm for learning raises concerns. Research shows that intrinsic motivation is more essential than extrinsic motivation for long-term academic achievement (Gavrilova et al. 240). Educators can cultivate intrinsic motivation by creating an encouraging and collegial learning environment that stresses the importance of learning.
In conclusion, using incentives in academic achievement has long been a source of contention, and it is obvious that this strategy has both advantages and disadvantages. While rewards can be an efficient means of motivating students in the short term, studies indicate that they may contribute to a reliance on rewards and a decrease in intrinsic drive in the long term. Furthermore, incentives may only be equally successful for some students and may foster a sense of entitlement. As a result, educators should prioritize inner drive by developing an encouraging and interactive classroom environment that stresses the importance of learning. This can assist learners in cultivating a lifelong passion for learning, leading to long-term educational achievement. To summarize, while rewards have a role to play in education, teachers must be aware of the potential negative effect and prioritize inner drive as a necessity for long-term academic performance.
Works Cited
Gavrilova, Yulia, et al. “A Controlled Examination of Motivational Strategies: Is It Better to Motivate by Reviewing Positive Consequences for Goal Achievement or Negative Consequences of Not Accomplishing Goals?” Motivation Science, vol. 5, no. 3, 2019, pp. 235–256., Web.