Recent Study Weakens Traditional Criticisms
This recent study acts is a terrific response to traditional criticisms of positive reinforcement in the classroom. Many teachers still underestimate the role of PR and its impact, often conflating it with bribery. For evidence of this, consult my last post Management Through Improvement. In it, I highlight a great study of classroom best practices. Although the study found that most teachers generally view intangible positive reinforcement favourably, it also found that they view tangible forms as largely unnecessary and of little effect. We just can't seem to shake the idea that children who are encouraged to exhibit positive behaviours through the offer of tangible rewards will learn to only perform that behaviour for a reward, which has been shown repeatedly not to be the case. The kind of reinforcement has to vary relative to the kind of task or behaviour being elicited. Here's an except from the study that gets to the heart of the debate. When you have a few minutes, the full study is worth the read (and fairly short).
An Evidence-Based Logic for the Use of Positive Reinforcement: Responses to Typical Criticisms
Terrance M. Scott, PhD1 and Timothy J. Landrum, PhD1
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