Rewards and Motivation in Primary Education

This document discusses the effects of rewards on student motivation in primary education. It explores the positive outcomes of rewarding students, such as shaping appropriate behavior and boosting self-confidence. However, it also highlights the potential negative effects, such as addiction to rewards and the devaluation of rewards over time. The document also addresses the topic of rebellious students and the factors that contribute to their behavior. Additionally, it discusses the concept of need-driven behavior and how students' needs influence their actions in the classroom.

Running head: PRIMARY EDUCATION
PRIMARY EDUCATION
Name of the student
Name of the university
Author note

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Response to question 1:
Rewards help to motivate student behavior in the classroom but it has some negative
effects as well. Teachers have for long focused on rewarding students for good behavior. Student
motivation is an important aspect of classroom practice because it shapes the behavior of the
student. McClurg and Morris (2014) found that the rewards that most help the students to shape
their behaviors include good grades in the final exam, good grades in the course and the fear of
receiving bad grades. However, the study focused on the reward system in higher school
students. When it comes to students in primary education, the rewards that best work for
motivation are praise from the teachers and other material gifts.
One of the biggest positive things about the practice of rewarding students is the
achievement of their appropriate behavior. Students feel motivated to behave appropriately when
they are rewarded either extrinsically or intrinsically. Another positive effect of rewarding the
students is the boost in self-confidence and self-esteem. When they receive a reward, it makes
them more confident in them and they endeavor towards repeating the behavior to achieve better
results. Vijayan, Chakravarthi and Philips (2016) have also found that rewarding students for
their good behavior such as completing homework has yielded great results for the school and
the students.
In contrast to the positive effects, the practice of rewarding students sometimes leads to
negative outcomes. One of the concerning effects of this practice is that it makes the students
addicted to rewards and they do not feel motivated by any other way except rewards. In the TED
Talk about the “puzzle of motivation”, Dan Pink talks about the devaluation of rewards (Pink,

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2019). The author states that although rewards motivate students for a while but it loses its effect
after some times. Rewarding students thus fails to shape their behavior for good.
Response to question 2:
Rebellious students are those who constantly create disruption in the class by disturbing
other students and disobeying the teachers. The rebellious students also engage in bullying other
students in the classroom. It has often been seen that students with rebellious attitudes score
exceptionally well in the exams and hence, it becomes difficult for the teachers to control this
behavior. However, it needs to be argued in favor of the statement that student rebel inherently
when others attempt to control their behaviors. As Van Petegem et al. (2015) observed in their
study, adolescence whose behaviors are controlled by their parents become rebellious. They
begin to defy their parents and teachers due to increased control over their behavior. Therefore, it
becomes clear that controlling student’s behavior further leads to their rebellious nature.
Students begin to rebel especially when they reach a certain age. They begin to explore
the boundaries of their freedom. The controlling behavior of the teachers within the classroom
causes students to rebel. The authors found that the controlling behavior of the teachers frustrate
the students largely that in turn, produces rebellion in the students. However, those who argue
that the students rebel without others trying to control their behavior, assume that it is the
outcome of the way students are brought up. According to Mohapi (2014), home environment is
one of the major reasons for the rebellious behavior of the student. A negative environment at
home where the parents are abusive at time make the students go out of bounds and rebel in the
class. Nonetheless, it is important to understand that the students would still not rebel unless the

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teacher understands the problem. When the teacher attempts to control the behavior of the
student, she or he further becomes aggressive and rebellious.
Response to question 3:
Need-driven behavior refers to the behavior that is motivated by the needs in life. The
needs of the individual prompt them to behave in a certain way. Amongst the students, the needs
mostly refer to the motivations they want to have and hence, they behave accordingly. Baum
(2016) states that the social and emotional behavior of the students in the classroom is largely
driven by their needs to be recognized and valued. Once this need is satisfied, the influence of
the motivation lessens. Behavior changes take place when the needs are either satisfied or not
met. The statement that all behavior is need driven actually refers to the motivation behind the
behavior that students demonstrate. When a student feels neglected and ignored, it motivates her
or him to behave negatively or sometimes aggressively with others even the teachers. Here, the
need arises to behave aggressively or violently to draw the attention of others. When this need is
fulfilled, the student tends to change her or is behavior. However, it happens at times that the
behavior of the student does not change even after the need is fulfilled. In such a case, it could be
stated that the behavior of the student is driven by other factors.
In positive ways, students behave in a certain way driven by the need to receive accolades
from their teachers and classmates. To fulfill this need, the students behave positively in the
classroom. They complete their homework in time, interact increasingly with the teachers and
behave politely with everyone. When they feel that they are appreciated for their behavior, they
tend to continue it further.Therefore, it could be stated that if not all but most behavior is need
driven.

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References:
Baum, W. M. (2016). Driven by consequences: The multiscale molar view of
choice. Managerial and Decision Economics, 37(4-5), 239-248.
McClurg, L., & Morris, R. (2014). Shaping Student Behaviors Through Reward Systems:
Lessons From Beaver Trapping?. Journal of Higher Education Theory & Practice, 14(2).
Mohapi, S. J. (2014). Teachers’ view on causes of ill-discipline in three rural secondary schools
of Nkangala district of education. Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences, 5(10), 433.
Pink, D. (2019). The puzzle of motivation. Retrieved from
https://www.ted.com/talks/dan_pink_on_motivation/up-next#t-281295
Van Petegem, S., Soenens, B., Vansteenkiste, M., & Beyers, W. (2015). Rebels with a cause?
Adolescent defiance from the perspective of reactance theory and self‐determination
theory. Child Development, 86(3), 903-918.
Vijayan, P., Chakravarthi, S., & Philips, J. A. (2016). The role of teachers' behaviour and
strategies in managing a classroom environment. International Journal of Social Science
and Humanity, 6(3), 208.