Rewards and punishments as motivators to learning teachers' and pupils' reactions

Abstract

This work aims at giving an overview of the role which rewards and punishments have in the classroom: (a) as control devices (b) as motivators to learning. Following the literature review on reward and punishment as seen in Chapter I, questionnaires. interviews and observations were conducted with teachers and pupils. In our study, a sample of eighteen teachers was interviewed and recorded on tape. Nine of the teachers were teaching children aged ten to eleven. while the remaining nine were teaching Year 2 children. The use of rewards and punishments analyzed in both situations is the focus of Chapter 3 and 4. Chapter 5 and 6 show the children's reactions towards the administration of rewards and punishments. Tables and graphs illustrate the extent to which rewards and punishments enhance the learning process. Finally. in Chapter 7, we tried to summarize differences which resulted from our study. Copies of the questionnaire arc appended at the end, followed by a bibliography.