5. Rewarding

What are the causes that get students study even though it is sometimes hard and uninteresting? There are many different reasons why students study. Sometimes they are motivated to act because of internal desires and wishes. At other times, their behavior is driven by a desire for external rewards such as a good grade because of external expectations or parents’ or teacher’s approval .

Rewarding can be very effective when used in a right way. It is important to think through carefully, where and when and how to use different kinds of rewards. Excessive rewards may sometimes lead to a decrease in a student’s intrinsic motivation. This effect is known as the over justification effect. It occurs when a person’s intrinsic interest in a previously unrewarded activity is decreased as a result of an external reward. An activity that was once interesting becomes less attractive after a person gets an external reward for completing the activity. Large rewards can take away the joy of some positive activity and on the other hand large punishments can extinguish the moral inhibitions against some negative activity. For example, small children seldom need an encouragement to learn about their environment. This natural curiosity may harmfully fade in school and the student starts to find classes and schoolwork hard or uninteresting. It is fascinating to think about the reasons behind it. How much do our assessment manners or expectations of others influence that? It is something to think about when working as an educator.

Excessive rewards may sometimes lead to a decrease in a student’s intrinsic motivation.

If rewarding depends on making an effort and trying to do something well, the behavior may be less influenced by the over justification effect. Being rewarded for studying probably will not lessen intrinsic motivation if the student is rewarded of making an effort and trying to do well rather than just getting something done.

Being rewarded for studying probably will not lessen intrinsic motivation if the student is rewarded of doing well rather than just getting something done.

Resent studies have also found that students who were exposed to comfort-orientated messages were actually less motivated and expected lower grades and had lower engagement in their learning. Studies suggest that students do better when they think they can improve their intelligence as well as their character. Presenting character traits to students as a series of constantly developing attributes will inspire them to improve those traits.

Task 9

Thinking of your students

How could you praise each of them realistically concentrating on their efforts?
Who would benefit from studying a subject in smaller and more simplified packages?
How could you do it in the easiest way possible for you?
What would be the learning goals in this package and what kind of a grade would that mean? Would it encourage the student to make an effort? Would completing a small and simple learning package successfully improve the student’s self esteem?
Would there be a student whose behavior could be guided with either tangible or psychological reward?

Task 10

Thinking of your courses and teaching sessions

What kind of concrete rewards could you give during a course/session?
Would there be certain exercises that you could reward with a sticker, candy or other tangible reward so that it would have a positive impact on learning and/or atmosphere and motivation?