Extrinsic Motivation in Education

Paper Summary:

There are many reasons why teachers use extrinsic motivation, sometimes also called external rewards or tangible rewards, in the classroom and there are differing points of view as to whether this style of reward is appropriate for students. This paper explains that one of the main concerns is whether this teaches children that they should receive something for good behavior. Children may behave better in the hopes of receiving some reward, but they may also behave poorly if the reward is not something that they feel they want or need. The paper shows that, because of this, teachers and others that work in the education field must decide if extrinsic motivation is right for their students based on the age-group that is being taught and other factors. There are both advantages and disadvantages to extrinsic motivation in the classroom and the key is to determine whether the advantages outweigh the disadvantages when deciding whether to use this type of motivation with a particular group of students.

Paper Outline:
Introduction
Description of the Topic
Advantages and Disadvantages For Classroom Use
The Debate Surrounding Extrinsic Motivation
Implications For the Field of Teaching
Conclusion
References

From the Paper:

"Proper behavior in the classroom must be rewarded, just as negative behavior or inappropriate behavior is often punished. Tangible rewards such as candy, notes home with happy comments, parties, free time, and other issues work very well. However, intangible rewards such as speaking to a student about how well he or she has performed on something particular or simply giving the student a pat on the back and letting him or her know that he or she has done a good job often goes just as far as getting something tangible, depending on the student, and on the way that the message is delivered."

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