Reward For Grades But Not With Cash — Dave’s Diary
Back to school and back to the bank? A question many parents will be wrestling with in the weeks to come is, should they pay money to their kids for good grades? Some view paying kids for good grades as an incentive while others see it as a bribe.What do the experts say? A Kansas State University family studies and human services professor says while monetary compensation for grades may be effective in some cases, parents should know the practice could actually backfire and decrease their child's motivation to perform well in school.
That makes sense to my wallet, now make it make sense to my mind.
It’s all about the shift in internal satisfaction and outside motivation. The prof says cash for grades can cause students' motivation to work hard in school to shift from an internal motivation -- that is, being motivated by how it will make them feel -- to an external one that is driven by the reward they will receive. It’s sort of like virtue is its own reward is being tampered with.
The truth is grades do pay in the long run, but that’s a few years down the road when good students earning good grades prove to be better employees earning raises. That doesn’t help this new semester!
The answer lies within each child because the most powerful motivator is unique to each child. For some young students a trip to see Grandma may do the trick, while for others not being required to do chores for a week might be more motivating than a $20 bill!