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Our culture is steeped in behaviorism. At work, school, and home, we take it for granted that the way to get things done is to dangle rewards in front of people. In light of research and experience many educators know that rewards are not merely ineffective over the long haul, but actually counterproductive.
One study after another has demonstrated that the more someone is rewarded for doing something (or for doing it well), the less interest that person is likely to have in whatever he or she was rewarded for doing.
Consider that children who are frequently rewarded by their parents are somewhat less generous than their peers (they’ve learned that the only reason to help is so they will get something in return for doing something). Students who are lead to think only about grades tend to be less interested in learning, less likely to think creatively, and less likely to choose difficult assignments than those who are encouraged to focus on the task itself. If the point is to do only what is necessary to get an A, students develop a mindset that is, as one researcher put it, the “enemy of exploration.” Small wonder that they often ask: “Do we have to know this? Is this going to be on the test?”
The question we at Huntington Learning Center ask is not “How motivated is the student?” but “How is the student motivated?” What matters to us is not the amount but the type of motivation involved-whether a child, for example is encouraged to see reading as something gratifying in its own right-or as a tedious prerequisite to getting a reward.
Of course, there is nothing wrong with rewards or money. The problem comes when we offer such things contingently, and they become devices to manipulate behavior.
Our concern is instead of helping children to ask, “What do I want to learn?” a child is led to ask, “What do they want me to do and what will I get for doing it?” What motivates your child?
Compliments of Susan J. Holmes
Huntington Learning Center
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