Teachers spend considerable time in college studying the use of extrinsic rewards for good school work, good behavior, and so on. They might put a gold star on an individual student’s paper or allow the class to play a favorite game if they all did their homework.
These “extrinsic” rewards can’t be abandoned by good teachers and often serve as a stepping stone toward more intrinsic motivators of student development, according to a summary of peer-reviewed research published on education.com:
Sometimes students are required to engage in tasks that they are not motivated to do. Thus, extrinsic motivation cannot be, and should not be, abandoned. However, educators should pursue the internalization of students’ extrinsic motivation for these tasks.
Now a mom of a first-grade girl at Dundee Highlands Elementary School in West Dundee, Ill., has caused a complaint against her daughter’s teacher to be published in a newspaper, a complaint stemming from the teacher giving her daughter candy and allowing students in her class to watch movies during indoor recess as a reward for good behavior.
The complaints were published in the Daily Herald, based in Arlington Heights, Ill., in this morning’s edition.
Using extrinsic motivation properly
We have written extensively on the subject of intrinsic vs extrinsic motivation and rewards (see here, for example). If used correctly, research shows that extrinsic motivation can be very effective at managing classrooms. Especially in the lower grades, classroom management skills often define a great teacher more than knowledge of any particular subject, such as math or science.
A typical way a bad teacher would use extrinsic motivation goes something like this, say, on a Tuesday: “If everybody finishes this worksheet, I’ll give the whole class a prize on Friday.” Here, putting off the reward to a time when the class is likely to be in a different situation means that some kids will no longer associate the reward they receive with finishing the worksheet.
It would be better for the teacher not to announce the reward but rather to keep any promises of a reward to herself. Then, when students complete the worksheet, she can say something like, “OK, you all just finished this really hard worksheet, and I think that’s the first time you ever did something this hard. So, I’m going to give you all a prize.” Doing it this way, the teacher reinforces good behavior, mainly because the reward seems random and spontaneous and, most important, comes right after the behavior she wants to encourage.
Candy and movies, compared to other extrinsic rewards
From the article, it’s not clear whether the mom objects to the use of extrinsic motivation for her 6-year-old daughter or objects to the use of sugared candy and movies like Toy Story as extrinsic motivators in particular.
Some research exists (see here and here) that shows if kids associate sweets with good behavior, they might come to rely on sweets to substitute for intrinsic motivators later in life and become obese. A bite-size candy once in a while isn’t so bad, however, but the danger of an out-of-control obese child is something to fear.
As for the movie, it’s played during indoor recess, not class time. Recess is only indoors because the winter has been harsh around Chicago. The movie also covers themes of friendship, and even if it didn’t, it’s recess.
The mom is quoted as saying, “Instead of getting like pencils and erasers or hanging up their artwork, a lot of teachers give candy. And the principal seems OK with it.”
I would bet, the teacher will encourage good behavior in her students much better with a piece of candy than with pencils and erasers, even though much of the research we cited suggests using alternatives to food as a reward.
“Foods commonly used as rewards (like candy and cookies) can contribute to health problems for children, e.g., obesity, diabetes, hypertension and cavities. Food rewards provide unneeded calories and displace healthier food choices,” writes Kansas State University in summarizing research.
The research, though, provides dozens of alternatives that can only be described as more exciting than pencils and erasers. How about a nice photo posted on the classroom wall or sent home to parents. Can the teacher use PhotoShop or even a word processor?
And she should already be hanging up their artwork. School supplies or pride in one’s students should be unconditionally given and not part of some reward only for good behavior. I find it appalling that the mother of a 6-year-old girl wants to impede this teacher’s ability to manage her class.
If the class is out of control or gets no instruction during non-recess times, that would be a reason to go to the superintendent, as this mom did over the movies and candy. But until this teacher proves ineffective in managing her classroom, I see very little wrong with offering children a small piece of candy (less than 75 calories) or letting them watch part of Toy Story during indoor recess. Activity might be better, but they’ll be outdoors soon enough, and the 6-year-old can always be told she can refuse the candy if she really doesn’t want it.
But no, we have to get the superintendent and a newspaper involved.
