Should we pay students for good grades or give them rewards for topping the board exam? Every year, as soon as the results of board exams or licensure tests are out, we hear of various stories of students receiving cars, cash rewards or having a grand vacay for topping said exams.
Recently, a newly Civil Engineer grad received a cool Php 1M cash from his alma mater for landing top 8 in the Professional Regulation Commission’s (PRC) licensing exam.
Meanwhile, it has become a tradition for this provincial state university to award their alumni who top the board exam with a brand new car.
The oldest university in the Philippines, on the other hand, treated their law school bar passers with a grand vacation in the country’s top tourist destination in the Visayan region.
Passing a bar exam or a licensure test is a big feat in itself but being on the top 10 is simply amazing. Awarding students for a job well done is not something new in a country like the Philippines which put premium to education.
This reward system has been the subject of debates in the past. According to www.parent.co, psychological studies going back as far as the early 1970s have found that rewards programs often result in less engaged students. The studies show that students who receive rewards are being trained to do the minimum amount needed to get the reward – not developing an intrinsic love of learning that ultimately makes them more successful academically and as an adult.
The website also suggests to reward the child verbally by saying how the effort and studying paid off and how he or she is proud of the student. Further, it said the parent may suggest a celebration, like going to a special restaurant for a meal — not as a reward but just an acknowledgment and celebration of a goal achieved.
Incentive ideas for academic achievement
One of the biggest challenges educators face is student motivation. This issue affects all levels of education from kindergarten to colleges. Concordia University-Portland shares ideas to reward academic achievement that can be applied in almost any setting.
Start with loss. One tool that utilizes this information is a board in which students lose tokens for each incident of bad behavior or failure to complete an assignment. For older students, removing privileges may be more compelling. Of course, to avoid constantly being in the role of punisher, it’s important to initially include privileges that may later be eliminated, such as free seating or listening to an iPod during work times. By having faith in students early, teachers encourage them to rise to expectations.
Think small. Teachers and parents are often tempted to over reward. For young children, something as simple as a sticker or change in seating may be enough motivation. Some elementary schools have had success with tickets handed out randomly for exceptional behavior.
Consider intrinsic motivation. It’s easy to fixate on the rewards of finishing school work: good grades, teacher and parental pride, and eventually a bright future. However, because of a difference in home life or personality, many students are not driven by extrinsic motivation. An adaptable educator may redirect to intrinsic motivation. Students naturally work hard in their areas of interests, so it helps to tie subjects to a fun topic, or relate problem areas to subjects a student excels in.
Offer options. One way to encourage productivity is to allow students to choose how to complete their assignments. Without changing the length requirements or topic, give multiple options: create a website, give an oral presentation, or write a paper. Students still learn the information, plus they grow in independence, self-confidence and creativity.
Act quickly. Students doing well must be both praised and rewarded immediately. Because according to the scholars, “all motivating power of the incentives vanishes when rewards are handed out with a delay.” One of the best ways to encourage academic achievement is to create an environment in which achievement is valued. Though individual rewards are valuable, a goal that the whole class must reach together promotes internal support and positive peer pressure. Possible group rewards for stretches of good behavior or high class averages (depending on the grade level) include: an open book final, a field trip, class outside, a movie or party day.
By choosing activities with relevance or educational value (like a cultural party or trip to a museum), teachers can promote the idea that learning is ultimately its own reward.
Disneyland of learning
With or without incentives, education should be a “Disneyland of learning.” Both students and educators should enjoy “living, learning, and laughing” in learning institutions, according to Richard Gerver, the world-renowned motivational and business speaker.
Gerver spoke before participants of the Philippine Higher Education Presidents’ Summit organized by Philippine Business for Education (PBEd) which this writer attended in 2014.
A former school principal, Gerver was talking from his own experience. He transformed The Grange School – one of the worst performing schools in Great Britain – to a top performing school within two years. His secret? By “creating an environment that is so magical that kids are prepared to do the hard stuff for those moments of magic,” Gerver recalled telling his staff back in 2001.
“Education should be a celebration of how people’s lives could be. It is a tool of empowerment. The job of educators is to raise their aspirations and sense of value – a profound sense of what they could be and where they could go,” he said.