Do Rewards Punish?
Editor's note: Following are a few of the more than 65 responses we've received (so far) to the question: Do you agree with Alfie Kohn's contention that A's and praise are counterproductive (“Punished by Rewards? An Interview with Alfie Kohn,” September 1995)? More than half of the e-mail responses came from a class of psychology students who wrote to us for extra credit! So far about two-fifths of respondents agree, two-fifths disagree, and the rest agreed and disagreed in part with Kohn's ideas. We enjoyed receiving the feedback. Watch for more letters next month.
For another request for feedback, see page 69 on the question, Does Money Matter?
As a parent and scholar, I see Kohn's ideas as a compelling restatement of Carl Roger's humanistic side of the debate he had with B.F. Skinner about internal/external motivation. But as a teacher I am troubled by Kohn's contentions. Has Kohn ever taught in a diverse and challenging public school? Has he ever worked with a hyperactive child, or one who suffers from fetal alcohol syndrome? In the best of all worlds where children are carefully prepared for school in their first years of life, Kohn's arguments make sense. But, from a teacher's perspective, he's an outside looking in.
—Ronald L. Zigler, Assistant Professor of Education, Grand View College, Des Moines, Iowa
“Punished by Rewards” displays the kind of ivory tower solipsism that turns classroom teachers off to what “experts” have to say. His insistence that all teaching practices must be intrinsically motivating ignores the basic need for the teacher to create an orderly atmosphere.
I defy Kohn to walk into the best equipped kindergarten on the first day of school and expect the joy of learning to keep students safely and productively on task.
Reward systems should certainly decrease over time as students reap the benefits through their increased learning opportunities. A good teacher helps students toward intrinsic motivation by introducing content that delights and personally involves each students. Let us continue to pull students into the world of self-motivated learning. But let us also improve positive reinforcement strategies in real classroom with real students.
—Laura Rose, Supervisor of Student Teachers, Humboldt State University, Arcata, California
I have two major interests in life— medicine and music. I'm a National Merit scholar and have been accepted into George Washington University's medical program. I've also been playing drums nearly a decade and have received praise, publicity, payment, and grades for my work.
Kohn suggests that “rewards are most damaging to interest when the task is already intrinsically motivating.” I strongly disagree. It is more likely that reinforcement fosters an interest that later becomes intrinsic. (In highschool I worked for grades in biology and now it is my major.) We don't always realize what our “natural desire” is until we are reinforced for trying new things. Kohn's entire theory may be a moot point because we can't avoid working for rewards, whether they are pizzas or paycheks. We need these things for survival.
—Maximillian Soong, George Washington University, Washington, D.C.
After running Saturday science programs for eight years at the Carnegie Institution, I realized that A's and praise are less important than the content of the tasks. Children here are motivated by their involvement in doing projects and making products. I have never felt it wise to praise some to manipulate the actions of others. On the other hand, bringing the group together to discuss the importance of common goals and behaviors helps express a one-for-all synergy. Alfie's article was a real treat.
—Chuck James, Chicago, Illinois
Abstract moral positions are the luxury of university professors seeking fame and fortune. Frontline teachers are after results. Our school has had tremendous success in improving the performance of students, and we use any rewards students value—tangible, intangible, ethereal, metaphysical, or psychic. Once our kids start down the path of learning (the natural reinforcer), their performance improves even more.
Students who successfully engage in rewarding learning do not feel manipulated. They feel thankful.
—George Sherman, Walsingham Elementary School, Largo, Florida
Less than a week ago, I took an exam. Although I had studied all semester, I knew that this was not enough to pass the test. Thus, I crammed. Later I quickly forgot all that information I memorized. Is this learning? Since coming to GW, I feel the knowledge I have amassed is priceless. Unfortunately my GPA does not show this. The process does not reward those who truly learn the subject but only those who excel at test-taking.
—Jeffrey C. Carroll, George Washington University, Washington, D.C.
When I was a reporter in New York, one of my editors used to ring a bell in the newsroom every Friday afternoon. He would hold up a mystery box and say, “Okay, first one with all your stories in gets today's mystery prize.” Childish, yes, but it worked. Even the sports reporter who spent most of his time flipping through Sports Illustrated started hacking away. The reward? Usually just movie tickets. Did we feel manipulated? No. The tacit understaning was that the reward was only a bonus. The true reward was in the doing, the furious typing, the jokes, finishing the story.
The secret to helping people focus on the task, not the awards, seems to be to offer a reward only occasionally. And, to ring a bell.
—Christopher Orcutt, University of Maine, Machias, Maine
I remember the degrading effects of overpraising a student from my own elementary years. Being singled out for accomplishment was a huge rep kill. It was much cooler to be a thorn in the teacher's side. Real trouble lurked on the playground at recess for those students who were praised by their teacher. What a nightmare to be praised for intelligence! And all because teachers want to boost students' self-esteem?
As adults, we forget the fragility of students' social reputation. My nephew is a 2nd grader who won't wear shirts with too many stripes because it's not cool at school. With these pressures on students, do teachers need to be a trauma to them as well?
—Paula Holmes, University of Maine, Machias, Maine
Rewards are likely to be aversive in the long run? I'll bet Kohn thinks about that every time he gets an honorarium for doing his spiel. I would theorize that if those dollars were withheld from Kohn and intrinsic commitment substituted, we could turn to the glossary of any text on rewards and read about the extinction of a certain theory.
—Garnett J. Smith, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, Hawaii
It was with great amazement that after I read “Punished by Rewards?” I read your promise that you'd publish “the best responses” to Kohn's article. Did you not dangle the proverbial carrot of extrinsic motivation? Honestly, what would Alfie say?
—Gwen Papania, Staff Development Coordinator BOCES, Fredonia, New York
