Intrinsic/Extrinsic Rewards
Research has shown that what children need is a structured and loving environment where they are motivated to achieve their goals. However, in today’s society, many educators depend on extrinsic rewards to improve classroom management and ultimately classroom behavior. Over the past two years, action research was conducted in a second grade classroom at two different schools. The schools were completely different in aspects of diversity and socio-economic status, but the outcome of the research was highly evident at both locales. The research was used to determine the effects of using an intrinsic motivational system rather than an extrinsic rewards system in regards to behavior, and therefore the students’ overall success throughout second grade. When the study was concluded, the teacher reviewed the students’ pre-test, post-test, self-reflections, as well as personal notes from both students and parents from both schools stating an increase in overall confidence in that student. The data that was collected was then analyzed using the JMP-In program. The results indicate that focusing on intrinsic motivators rather than extrinsic motivators proves to be extremely beneficial both academically and socially for the second grade students who participated in this study.
Tags: rewards