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Unlock This CourseImagine you're learning to ride a bike. Every time you pedal without falling, someone cheers and gives you a sticker. Soon, you're trying harder and harder to stay upright. That's positive reinforcement in action! In schools, teachers use this same principle to help students learn better and behave well.
Positive reinforcement is one of the most powerful tools in education. It's based on a simple idea: when we reward good behaviour or achievement, people are more likely to repeat it. But how exactly do external rewards work and what impact do they have on learning?
Key Definitions:
When a student does something good (like completing homework) and receives a reward (like house points), their brain releases feel-good chemicals. This makes them want to repeat the behaviour. It's like training your brain to enjoy learning!
Schools use many different types of external rewards to motivate students. These can be grouped into several categories, each working in slightly different ways to influence behaviour and learning.
These are physical things students can touch and keep. They're often the most obvious type of reward and can be very motivating, especially for younger students.
Awards for achievement, effort, or good behaviour. Many schools have weekly certificate assemblies where students receive recognition in front of their peers.
Small gifts, sweets, or special items given for excellent work or behaviour. These work well for immediate motivation but need to be used carefully.
Quick, easy rewards that teachers can give instantly. Popular in primary schools and can be collected towards bigger rewards.
These rewards involve recognition from others and can be incredibly powerful because humans naturally want to feel valued and accepted by their community.
Verbal praise, positive comments on work, or public recognition. This costs nothing but can have huge impact on student motivation and self-esteem.
Being chosen as student of the week, house captain, or having work displayed. These rewards make students feel special and important.
Systems where students nominate each other for awards or where achievements are shared with the whole class. This builds positive relationships.
Riverside Secondary School introduced a house points system where students earn points for good work, helping others and positive behaviour. Points are tracked digitally and students can see their progress in real-time. The school found that homework completion increased by 40% and detentions decreased by 60% in the first year. However, some teachers noticed that students became too focused on earning points rather than learning for its own sake.
External rewards don't just change what students do – they actually change how they think and feel about learning. Understanding these effects is crucial for teachers and parents who want to use rewards effectively.
When students know they'll get a reward for good work or behaviour, several things happen almost immediately:
When we receive rewards, our brains release dopamine – a chemical that makes us feel good and want to repeat the behaviour. This is why external rewards can be so effective at changing behaviour quickly. However, the brain can become used to rewards, meaning bigger or more frequent rewards might be needed over time.
While external rewards can be very effective in the short term, their long-term effects are more complex and sometimes surprising.
Can build confidence, create positive associations with learning and help establish good habits that continue even after rewards stop.
Students might become dependent on rewards and lose interest when they're removed. This is called the "overjustification effect."
The most effective approach combines external rewards with helping students discover their own internal motivation for learning.
Like any educational tool, external rewards have both advantages and disadvantages. Understanding these helps teachers and schools use them more effectively.
External rewards can be incredibly powerful when used correctly:
Oakwood Primary School struggled with low reading levels. They introduced a system where students earned tokens for every book they read, which could be exchanged for small prizes. Reading levels improved dramatically – 85% of students met their reading targets compared to 45% the previous year. However, the school found that when they tried to reduce the rewards, some students' reading motivation dropped. They learned to gradually shift focus from external rewards to helping students discover the joy of reading itself.
However, external rewards also come with potential problems that educators need to be aware of:
Students might become so used to rewards that they won't work without them. This can actually reduce their natural love of learning over time.
The key to successful use of external rewards in education is knowing when, how and with whom to use them. Research has shown several important principles that make reward systems more effective.
Effective use of external rewards requires careful planning and implementation:
Reward specific behaviours or achievements, not just general "good work." This helps students understand exactly what they did well.
Give rewards as soon as possible after the desired behaviour. This helps students make the connection between what they did and the reward.
Slowly reduce external rewards as students develop internal motivation. This prevents dependency while maintaining good habits.
It's better to give fewer, more meaningful rewards than lots of small ones. This helps maintain their special value and prevents students from taking them for granted.
The most successful educational approaches combine external rewards with strategies that build students' internal motivation to learn. This creates a balanced system that works both short-term and long-term.
Greenfield Academy developed a "Growth Mindset Rewards" system that recognised effort, improvement and helping others rather than just high grades. Students could earn "Growth Points" for trying new strategies, learning from mistakes and supporting classmates. The school found that this approach maintained the motivational benefits of external rewards while also building students' love of learning. Test scores improved, but more importantly, students reported feeling more confident and enjoying school more.
External rewards can be powerful tools for influencing student behaviour and motivation in education. When used thoughtfully, they can help students achieve more, behave better and feel more confident about their abilities. However, they work best when combined with efforts to build students' internal motivation and love of learning.
The key is balance – using external rewards to support and encourage students while gradually helping them discover the joy and satisfaction that comes from learning itself. This approach creates lasting positive change that benefits students long after they leave school.