Using Rewards
Effectively
Laura Alger
EDUC 4400 sec. 601
Summer Session I 2012
What is a Reward?
 Rewards are incentives (tangible or intangible)
students are given or earn for engaging in or
completing an activity.
 Examples:
 Intangible: praise, grades, honor roll
 Tangible: stickers, candy, money, tokens,
3 types of rewards
 Concrete: using physical items that are given to
student
 Stickers, candy, certificates
 Social: using interpersonal signs of approval with
student
 Verbal praise, encouragement, constructive feedback,
pat on the back.
 Activity: using wanted, popular activity as a reward for
desired behavior.
 Extra time on playground, line leader or other ‘positive’
classroom helper, eat lunch with principal.
What is a Reinforcer?
 A reinforcer is an outcome that increases the
occurrence of a behavior that precedes it. (based on
Skinner’s operant conditioning theory)
 Reinforcers can be positive or negative.
 Positive reinforcers occur when something desirable is
given/presented to a student and it increases the
occurrence of a behavior.
 Negative reinforcers occur when something negative is
taken away/removed from a child, and it increases the
occurrence of a behavior.
Types of Reinforcers
 Negative reinforcement example:
 A student is given a “free pass” and doesn’t have to
take a quiz on Friday because he achieved a 90 or
higher on an assignment.
 Positive reinforcement example:
 A student is given a sticker/hand stamp when they
complete a task in classroom.
Types of Reinforcers
(continued)
 Primary reinforcers: satisfy a basic need;
including hunger and thirst.
 Example: students are given popsicles after
completing a test.
 Secondary reinforcers: increase the
occurrence of behavior because student
values the reinforcer.
 Example: verbal praise, name on honor roll.
So… you ask…”What is the difference
between a reward and a reinforcer?”
 “When rewards are valued by students, rewards may
serve as positive reinforcers. That is, they usually
increase the likelihood of behavior occurring again.
However….rewards do not necessarily increase
behaviors; in fact, at times they may actually lead to
decreases in certain behaviors.” (p. 32)
 Positive reinforcers = rewards
 But,
 Rewards aren’t always positive reinforcers!
 “The distinction lies in whether the targeted behavior
actually increases as intended.” (p.32)
Examples of grade-level
rewards (p. 34)
Grade Level
Type of Reward
K-1st
Gold stars, stickers
2-3
Lollipops, small plastic toys
4-5
15 minutes extra recess
6-7
Permission to attend a pizza party
on Friday
8-9
Permission to go on an extra field
trip
10-11
Permission to attend a “beach
day”
12
Permission to skip final exams at
end of the year
Characteristics of Rewards:
Is the reward informational or controlling?


Rewards are either Informational or controlling contingent on if
they are to:

enhance learning (informational)

manage behavior (controlling).
Informational rewards give student feedback regarding her
behavior/learning/skill and increase positive motivational
belief/self-efficacy in students.


Example: Art teacher praises student for subtle use of a color
in a part of a drawing.
Controlling rewards are given upon completion of a task or
achieving a certain level and has questionable motivational
outcomes.

Example: Students receive a sticker only after reciting their address in
30 seconds.
Praise as a reward
 To be effective, praise must:
 Be specific to student accomplishment
 Recognize effort and ability
 Praise is contingent upon specific behavior/skill
 Compares present behavior/skill to previous level
 MUST NOT be: general (good job), compare to other
students/classmates, (you did better than the rest of
the class), focused on teacher/controlling ( you did
what I told you to do), no attention to effort (I made it
an easy test).
Extrinsic Rewards &
Intrinsic Motivation
 Extrinsic Rewards may have negative effects
on student motivation; decreased effort,
academic shortcuts, less cognitive
engagement.
 Example: a reward is given to students just
for doing a task. Students may decrease the
level of effort because they get a reward
regardless of the amount of effort given to
task.
Rewards & Overjustification
 Another negative effect of extrinsic rewards is
Overjustification.
 Overjustifaction occurs when a student is working on
an intrinsically motivating activity and receives a
reward; this can lead to a decrease in future intrinsic
motivation for same task.
 The reward “overjustifies” his reasons to engage in
activity. When reward is removed there is no
justification for him to continue with the task; his
intrinsic motivation decreases.
Rewards & Creativity
 Extrinsic Rewards may result in less creative
students.
 Why? Students are focused on finishing the
task, its risky to be creative and may result in
a lower grade, if rubric/grading scale
doesn’t mention creativity the student may
skip this factor and focus on items that are
graded.
Rewards & Selfdetermination theory
 Self-determined behaviors occur when there are
choices, independently produced by the student, and
without external controls.
 Extrinsic rewards that are controlling remove the
chance for self-determination if they are expected.
 If students receive the external reward unexpectedly
after completion of task, self-determination can still
occur.
 Example: A teacher who rewards students for superior
grades on an exam with a pizza party after the exam
and without their knowledge ahead of time does not
negatively effect intrinsic motivation or selfdetermination.
Unfavorable Rewards:
a.k.a Punishment
 Two types of punishment:
 Presentation punishment: present something
unfavorable after a behavior (example:
detention, moving your popsicle stick from
‘green’ to ‘yellow’ then to ‘red’ resulting in a
note home to parent)
 Removal punishment: remove something
valuable to student after a behavior
(example: recess, computer time)
Punishment vs. Negative
reinforcement
 Negative reinforcement leads to increase in
behavior, while punishment leads to
decrease in behavior.
 Negative reinforcement results in something
undesirable being taken away, ex: a
student does not have to take a unit exam
because she made all A’s on the quizzes in
this unit.
Why avoid punishment?
 Skinner noted “that the use of
punishment in schools can
lead to undesirable side
effects, such as anxiety,
anger, and negative feelings
toward the teacher”(p. 44).
Consider punishment
carefully… (p. 44-46)
“Any form of punishment should be used rarely and
judiciously” (p. 44).
-frequent and haphazard use of punishments can
backfire on teachers
-some intended punishments may not be perceived as
aversive to some students
-what is intended as a punishment, may actually serve
as a reward to some students
Recommendations when deciding
on Rewards (p. 47) :
 Only offer rewards for activities that students aren’t
already doing.
 Make rewards potentially available to all students.
 Reward students for effort or improvement.
 Rewards should be informational.
 Rewards should not be perceived as controlling.
 Consider whether rewards should be presented privately
or publicly.
 Use praise effectively.
 Consider whether a reward is truly a reward.
Helpful Hints…
 Carefully examine why and for what reasons
and purposes you are using rewards.
 Plan the specifics (how, when, what) of
using your rewards.
 Be consistent, intentional, organized, well
thought out and planned when using
rewards.
Use of extrinsic rewards
and Speech Therapy
 When students (K-5) return their completed speech
homework they receive a sticker to put on their “Star
Chart” which hangs on the bulletin board in speech
room. Once the chart is full, the student gets a trip to
the treasure chest to pick out a small, plastic toy to
keep.
 While practicing speech sounds the student gets to
take a turn on the board game.
 Example: student picks a card from the articulation
deck. Student says target sound 10 times. Student
then gets to take a ‘whack’ at the game Break The
Ice.
NC Professional Teaching
Standards (NCPTS) :
 Standard IV: Teachers facilitate learning for
their students.
 Teachers know the ways in which learning
takes place, and they know the appropriate
levels of intellectual, physical, social, and
emotional development of their students.
NCPTS Standard IV
and Rewards
 Teachers know how students think and
learn, and teachers understand the
influences that affect individual student
learning. This would include influences on
student learning such as external rewards.
 Being aware of what motivates/influences
individual and/or groups of students to
include external rewards may be beneficial
to a teacher to employ within the classroom
setting so as to facilitate student learning.
NC Essential Standards (NCES):
 K.SE.1
Remember safety and ethical issues
related to the responsible use of information
and technology resources.
 Identify examples of use and care of
technology hardware and software.
 Remember internet safety rules
 Recognize the importance of respect for the
work of others.
NCES K.SE.1
Rewards & Punishments
 The Teacher-Librarian would monitor and be aware of
students computer usage to include correct use of and
the misuse of technology/computers in the media
center.

Any misuse of a computer’s hardware/software would
result with removing student from the computer for a
pre-determined amount of time (punishment)
 Correct usage of computers result in the continued use
or/more time spent on the popular computer
technology and equipment (reward)
REFERENCES
 Anderman, E.M. and Anderman, L.H. (2010).
Using rewards effectively. Classroom
Motivation. New York: Pearson.