Ambitious Essex student Imogen Farmer enjoyed a rather special reward for her smart work last year. Since that shopping trip, after she opened her A-level results, with her twin sister, Lock told her parents about the impact the summer had had on her life. They commemorated their achievements with a unique celebration of their hard work and academic excellence. The parents provided each daughter with cash to spend on a fun day out.
As fun as that all sounds, Imogen doesn’t think the promise of a reward affected how she studied at all. And with that, an unexpected feeling of certainty came over her. No matter how she did, she was sure that their mom and dad still would have given them credit for their efforts. This reflection reinforces what I know to be true, that intrinsic motivation is a much more significant factor in academic success than any external, shallow reward.
In Imogen’s classes, a significant portion of students were paid cash bonuses for coming first in their exams. The rest of them were promised their first cars after hitting certain academic targets. This trend begs larger questions about the long-term efficacy of such rewards in building sustainable educational interest and achievement. I have learned from the school and hard work that good grades aren’t about whether you tried hard in school. She proposed a deep connection between hard work and achievement in school.
Financial incentives are great, according to Leon Smith. As a parent, he treats his kids £50 when they pass their exams. As he put it, “It provides them with some sort of motivation and opportunity to work towards.” Yet, the effectiveness of such rewards continues to be a source of contention between educators and psychologists.
Manny Botwe, president of the Association of School and College Leaders, expressed skepticism about the long-term benefits of performance-based rewards. He poignantly made the case for not measuring a child’s value to the score they get on a test. In dealing with academic challenges, Botwe recommends that parents not make their children’s self-esteem contingent on their school performance. Concentrate, rather, on developing their potential and self-assurance. He reminded us of a greater worry—one for students who are perplexed by their performance. I fear for those young people who fail the test; it’s ‘deal or no deal’, he told us during an interview.
Freeman’s replacement, psychologist Natasha Tiwari, suggested rewarding effort instead of grades as a more sustainable strategy. She noted that cash or large-item rewards can offer immediate incentives. Rather, they may encourage students to see their accomplishments as purely transactional. So instead, Tiwari likes to emphasize effort, which he’s found breeds a more positive long-term impact on student motivation. “That is what’s going to create the greatest results,” she said.
The debate over the use of incentives in education is complex and multi-dimensional. Schools and parents alike are looking for answers on how to best incentivize students. When making these changes, they need to weigh the value of intrinsic motivation versus external rewards. Contrasting views on this point underscore the need for a careful and realistic approach. We need to cultivate success and character.
