Motivating children to complete their homework is a challenge that needs a clear comprehension of the child and their behavior. Children are still in the developmental stage and need something that motivates them to participate in schoolwork. To encourage them to finish their homework, children tend to tutor, and parents often turn to reinforcement strategies. There are two types of strategies meant to reward good behavior and have a massive role in influencing the attitude of the child towards school work. The strategies are social reinforcements and tangible rewards. Tangible rewards are concrete items like toys or privileges like going to an amusement park. Social reinforcements are the use of recognition, positive feedback, and verbal praise to motivate children to finish their homework. To identify the appropriate strategy for every child, it is essential to understand that children are different in their personalities; hence, one needs to choose the most appropriate method for each child.
Tangible rewards entail offering kids tangible things or privileges to make them do their homework. The rewards often include items like toys or snacks, while privileges include more time playing video games or watching the TV. For children, tangible rewards—which are sometimes seen as extrinsic motivators—have a significant influence on how they behave when it comes to completing their homework (Jones, 2014). Tangible rewards are appealing because they are real and visual, giving children an immediate and readily apparent reward for their diligent efforts. The strong connection between getting a reward and completing the homework creates a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment. One of the benefits of using tangible rewards is their ability to satisfy a child’s need for instant gratification. Tangible gains come with an immediate payback, in contrast to the more gradual and intangible benefits of education, such as personal growth or improved future opportunities. This immediate reinforcement encourages children to participate in academic assignments more voluntarily by directly associating finishing homework with the enjoyable feeling of earning a reward (McGraw, 2015). Furthermore, there are many possibilities available with tangible rewards, so parents and teachers can customize incentives to a child’s particular interests. A more individualized and focused approach is made possible by this personalization, which considers the various interests and motivations of each child. Tangible rewards, such as a special treat, a special toy, or additional screen time, can appeal to a child’s likes and dislikes and increase the effectiveness of the incentive.
However, when you think about the long-term effects on intrinsic motivation, it becomes clear that there could be a drawback to depending only on material rewards. Critics claim that giving out external rewards on a regular basis could cause “the over-justification effect,” as psychologists refer to it (Jones, 2014, p. 684). This phenomenon implies that people’s inherent motivation may gradually decline when they are given external rewards for activities they initially find pleasurable. In the context of homework, this could imply that a child’s motivation to study may decline when the novelty of material rewards wears off and that they may be less likely to finish assignments without the promise of a reward. Furthermore, there can be practical issues with the long-term viability of employing material prizes. Parents and educators may find it financially demanding to rely on outside motivators continuously (McGraw, 2015). As kids become used to getting prizes for everyday chores, the increasing requests for more alluring rewards could start a vicious cycle that’s hard to break. As a result, there is a chance that the desire to finish assignments may decrease if the prizes are taken away or become less enticing, which raises concerns about the strategy’s long-term efficacy.
Unlike tangible rewards, social reinforcements are based on the inherent value of positive social relationships and feedback from others. In order to encourage students to finish their schoolwork and develop self-esteem, this method uses recognition, verbal praise, and positive affirmations (Jovanovic, 2014). Social reinforcements stress the intrinsic satisfaction of hard work, which is intended to create a persistent and self-sustaining motivation for academic work. One of the advantages of social reinforcements is their ability to bring about the growth and development of a positive attitude toward learning and positive self-concepts. Children learn that their efforts are appreciated and acknowledged by others when they receive genuine acknowledgment and praise for their efforts (Ryan, 2017). Positive reinforcement helps build a strong feeling of self-worth, which lays the groundwork for long-term academic motivation and confidence.
Furthermore, as social reinforcements place more emphasis on the intrinsic gratification that comes from finishing activities instead of depending on outside rewards, they are consistent with the ideas of intrinsic motivation. Social reinforcements foster the idea that participation in academic tasks is rewarding in and of itself by emphasizing the intrinsic value of the learning process (Hernandez, 2017). This perception is essential to cultivating a true passion for learning that goes beyond the desire for instant gratification. Social reinforcements are affordable and easily accessible compared to tangible rewards, which makes them a scalable and long-lasting alternative for parents and teachers. Financial resources are not needed for the influence that acknowledgment, verbal praises, and positive feedback may have—and they can go far beyond a single completed school assignment (Jaques, 2019). Using social reinforcement to create a welcoming and encouraging learning environment benefits the child’s general well-being and lays the groundwork for lifetime learning.
It is crucial to remember that children have personal differences; hence, this can affect how adequate social reinforcements are. Every child has specific differences in learning style, preferences, and personality traits, which affect how receptive a child is to social reinforcements (Hernandez, 2017). Certain children may find great motivation and affirmation from verbal praise and recognition, which can lead to their success. However, other children require alternative forms of reinforcement—like more material rewards or a mix of the two—in order to feel sufficiently motivated. Moreover, the setting in which social reinforcements are given also has a significant impact on how effective they are. When given promptly and with genuine attention to detail, feedback has been shown to have a more significant effect on fostering intrinsic motivation. However, children may not respond as strongly to general or inconsistent praise, which could lessen the intended motivational effect. As such, using social reinforcements as a strategy to encourage homework completion requires a detailed understanding of the situational context and each child’s unique needs.
Parents and teachers should continuously observe and interact with children in order to maximize the benefits of social reinforcements. This is paying attention to what they say, observing how they respond to various forms of reinforcement, and being flexible enough to modify plans in response to changing needs and preferences. In order to maintain long-term motivation and a positive attitude toward learning, social reinforcements must be approached with flexibility to ensure that they continue to be a responsive and dynamic tool (Ryan, 2017).
To sum up, choosing between social reinforcements and tangible rewards relies on various factors, including the task, age, and personality of a child. Younger children prefer tangible rewards, while older children prefer social reinforcements. Children are different; hence, what works for one child may not work for the other. Some children would be academically motivated by tangible rewards like toys or snacks, while others would be motivated by social reinforcements. It is best to constantly analyze a situation and the child before deciding on the best way.
References
Hernandez-Lallement, J., van Wingerden, M., Schäble, S., & Kalenscher, T. (2017). A social reinforcement learning hypothesis of mutual reward preferences in rats. Social Behavior from Rodents to Humans: Neural Foundations and Clinical Implications, 159-176.
Jaques, N., Lazaridou, A., Hughes, E., Gulcehre, C., Ortega, P., Strouse, D. J., … & De Freitas, N. (2019, May). Social influence as intrinsic motivation for multi-agent deep reinforcement learning. In International conference on machine learning (pp. 3040- 3049). PMLR.
Jovanovic, D., & Matejevic, M. (2014). Relationship between rewards and intrinsic motivation for learning–research review. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 149, 456-460.
Jones, R. M., Somerville, L. H., Li, J., Ruberry, E. J., Powers, A., Mehta, N., … & Casey, B. J. (2014). Adolescent-specific patterns of behavior and neural activity during social reinforcement learning. Cognitive, Affective, & Behavioral Neuroscience, 14, 683-697.
McGraw, K. O. (2015). The detrimental effects of reward on performance: A literature review and a prediction model. The hidden costs of reward, 33-60.
Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2017). Self-determination theory. Basic psychological needs in motivation, development, and wellness.
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