“Rewards for Students Under a Microscope” is an article by Lisa Guernsey that was published in the New York Times on March 2, 2009. It explores the question of whether or not it is beneficial to reward students with money, toys, etc. for academic success. Many psychologists warn against its use, while economists and business-oriented people believe in its benefits. The heated debate continues while the number of reward-based programs located in poverty-stricken areas is increasing. The article discusses the details of multiple programs that use some form of a token economy as well as outlines the current research being conducted to learn more about this subject. Click here to view the article.
What are your reactions to the article? Are you Pro/Con the use of money or prizes to reward academic success?
Were/Are you rewarded for your academic success with money/prizes? If so, has that influenced your understanding of school and the importance of learning?
I thought this article was really interesting. Im not sure if I agree with the idea of giving prizes for doing well, though. I think that to a certain extent it can be healthy and beneficial for students, but when it is taken too far I don't think it does any good. When I was in elementary school we would be given "postive action notes" when we behaved well, and these could be used later to shop with a student store. I think this was very effective, and it didn't have any long lasting negative effects that I noticed at all. I think that giving out money for doing well on tests, especially at the high school level may cause students to have bad motives. The article even mentioned how in one study of the third graders who were rewarded for reading, a number of them didn't return to reading at all. We need to be careful when giving rewards that we don't cover up the actual purpose of learning, with the striving to receive rewards.
ReplyDeleteThis was an interesting article and it really made me think about what I would do in the same situation. Growing up my siblings and I were never given money for grades, and I know that I wanted to still get good grades. On the other hand all 4 of us have been rewarded monetarily. However, my parents set limits, and it was actually very beneficial because I would get a dollar for a strikeout when I was younger. This was a good system of rewards because I had a control problem, and striking out people was a big accomplishment. Today, I do not get paid for anything that I accomplish on the field, but I think that I have an even higher drive to succeed. I think that like most things, rewards should be given only if it is truly deserved, and that they are given in moderation. I think that the article showed what happens when the awards are given for every little thing. I was shocked after reading the part on the AP tests, especially the fact that teachers received a bonus if their students did well. I think that this is a major flaw, and it could have many teachers teaching specifically to the test in order for them to receive a reward. Situations like that seem very harmful for all involved because of the negative effects that it has on people. I think these situations need to be reevaluated, and people need to realize that money should not be synonymous with getting an A.
ReplyDeleteAs a child I experienced a reward system and it was very motivating to me. It was something to strive for when I found my work to be difficult or boring. It is a very fine line when talking about this subject. My opinion is that rewards indeed work, but we need to steer away from monetary rewards. When I was in school we were rewarded with gold stars instead of money, and if by the end of the week you had a certain number of gold stars, you would receive a prize at the end of the week. This type of reward system essentially worked the same as giving out play money but it was in the form of stars. I also agree with the psychologists point of view that it could be detrimental to the child. If children learn that money is the ultimate goal and motivation in life, it will most likely carry over into the older years. That is why I think that a reward system is affective, we just need to be careful about how we implement that system.
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