Does Reinforcement Leads to Positive Change in Student Performances?
Introduction
‘Instead of yelling and spanking, which don't work anyway, I believe in finding creative ways to keep their attention – turning things into a game, for instance. And, when they do something good, positive reinforcement and praise’ (Richardson, n.d.).
People can create happiness, no matter they build it with money, words or actions. But there is something that we did not bother to know, on how we could maintain that happiness. Nowadays, looking back to history, either parents or teachers would use punishments as their way to remove students bad behaviour. Sometimes, students get yelled and hit by these two groups of people. Punishments could be a good way to remove undesired behaviour, but would it last long? Punishment could be in two ways. First method of punishments that is used is, by adding unpleasant alternative to decrease students unwanted behaviour. Another method used is, by removing the pleasant alternative from students. The second method is the harshest method used to reduce students bad behaviour. But, does it really safe to use punishment method? Punishment usually doesn't work to change somebody because it could lead to hatred to himself and others. This could make unstable emotions develop leads to negative problems such as suicidal and so on. Permanent changes only can last long if there is sense of happiness in it. Therefore, instead of using punishment, we could use a positive method which is known as reinforcement. This method would help in encouraging students to do well no matter in their studies or co-curriculum.
Limitations:
The research for experiment 1 has limitation in correct data of praising students as they knew their actions were being observed. There is also limitation in cost of bug-in the ear as it is expensive to apply this method to all the teachers. For experiment 2, the limitation is the time used to determine the effectiveness of teacher’s praising rate. The teachers are also different in education level and teaching experiences. The limitation for experiment 3, is the use of praising and attention method are only applied to kindergarten students, in the same place. So, it is limited to the place only, not universally.
Research Questions:
1. What type of reinforcement works the best for improving student performances?
2. What proves reinforcement works better than punishment?
Literature review
What is reinforcement?
Reinforcement was introduced by B.F. Skinner’s theoretical framework. It is defined as an event or state of affairs that changes subsequent student behaviour when it temporally follows an instance of that behaviour (Wlodkowski, 1978). For example, a student that is given praise for his arts skill will tend to increase and improve his skills in art works.
Type of Reinforcement.
According to B.F. Skinner’s theoretical framework, reinforcement is divided into two; positive reinforcement and negative reinforcement. Positive reinforcement is known in educational psychology as a consequence that brings about the increase of a behaviour through the presentation of a stimulus (Malala J. et al., 2007). Negative reinforcement is known as a consequence that brings about the increase of a behaviour through removal undesired stimulus.
This research could only relate positive reinforcement to student performances mainly in academic due to the previous studies carried out. Positive reinforcement here relates to motivational exposes to student. There are two types of motivations for this reinforcement, which is intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Intrinsic motivation means, the ‘doing’ of the behaviour is considered to be primary reason for the performance, which involve manipulation, exploration, and information processing that provide satisfaction in and of themselves. This is what makes the students enjoy doing things because they love it, and not feeling force to do so. If they enjoy reading, they will read voluntarily as it is enjoyable and pleasure for them. On the other hand, in extrinsic motivation, it is the goal that being the reason for the changes of student performances. This includes getting high grade, or winning debate competition just in need of gaining rewards from parents or teachers.
In this case, positive reinforcement work better for individual high achievement. However, for a continuous long lasting satisfaction, positive reinforcement that is used must be intrinsic motivation as it delivers satisfactory in doing, not the result. So, it will maintain individuals interest in doing what they want and loved. This argument is based in part on learning theories, and on the review of existing literature that supports the significance of satisfactory and happiness in doing things. We need to build intrinsic motivation to avoid any undesired greed and stress due to high pressure and expectation from others.
Relationship between teacher coaching styles and student performance.
According to a study, teacher coaching styles are very important even in a child developmental stage. It could affect most of the child behaviour. There are at least three types of feedback, that is informational, regarding, and motivating (Mann, 1974). This feedback should be continuous and appropriate for child’s age and stage of development.
Nowadays, we often see teachers will only concentrate on what they are teaching rather than students’ level of understanding. There is, maybe few teachers still practice on concentrating students’ passion in the subject that they teach. However, there are still schools that will replace their students that provide a disruptive behaviour to another class to prevent any undesired problems. But, this kind of decision could make a situation even worse because students with emotional and behaviour disorder might feel they are being isolated and treated unfairly among teachers. To avoid this happens, researchers conducted two experiments to prove that this such problem could be avoid by raising praises rate to these students. Experiment 1 and 2 were conducted by increasing teachers praising rate towards students to decrease students’ disruptive behaviour. By using praising rate and attention provided as a factor, experiment 3 was conducted in a small kindergarten to prove that it could also affect students’ grades.
Based on experiment 1 that relates to students’ disruptive behaviour, it was hard for the teachers to maintain the usage of behaviour-specific praise to their students at first, but with help of direct training (by using bug-in-the ear), the participants could continuously cope and use it afterwards with the help of performance feedback. It was the most effective method used in increasing teachers’ praise rate. The outcomes of the experiment are, teachers’ coaching become more effective and the students disruptive behaviour decreases too. When teachers do not practise the BSPS, students disruptive behaviour increases and vice versa. For experiment 2, the method used is the same but specifically only with direct training. This is the most effective way to reduce student disruptive behaviour in class and the perfect way to engage the students with the subject taught. However, this use of method did not affect any changes in grading as high grade was determined to be affected by student interests in class. But, with praising the students, the possibility to increase the likelihood of the subject is higher.
On the other side, based on experiment 3, it was being measured that high and low achievers did receive same treatment, with same amount of praise and attention. When we look at the result of the experiment, high achievers were not being affected by any changes amount of praise and attention. Even they get less attention and praise, they still score the subjects, same goes when they get more attention. However, for low achievers, when they get more attention and praise, their score in subject increases. It shows that low achievers can score well in any subjects if they get more attention and praise from teachers in or outside the classroom. So, it proves that by praising (reinforcement), students can cope well with the subjects better than getting punishment.
Three experiments have conducted to test the student performances by using positive reinforcement as a factor, and as the result, students positive behaviour and study performances increases indirectly.
Conclusion.
By reinforcement as simple as praising, the likelihood for the low grader to achieve higher grades in future is possible, and the environmental of studies are prevented from any pressures but full with enjoyableness. By providing reinforcement, teachers or parents do not need to give out lots of money, but they can think of other way that could encourage their kids or students to achieve satisfactory in what they do. And that is the most important because money cannot buy everything. The main indicator for the student to succeed in life is their passion. Therefore, it is clear that reinforcement is the best option in improving student performances. It is concluded that, reinforcement does lead to positive changes in student performances, academically and behaviourally, thus hypothesis is accepted.
1. What type of reinforcement works the best for improving student performances?
Positive reinforcement works the best for improving student performances. We should use intrinsic motivations instead of extrinsic motivations for a long lasting changes in behaviour nor performances. This would keep enjoyable environment continuously present in of the doing of the actions. This is because, extrinsic behaviour could make the interest on ‘the doing’ less enjoyable compared to the rewards that would gain.
2. What proves reinforcement works better than punishment?
According to B.F. Skinner, reinforcement works better than punishment as it only invokes happiness and warm feeling inside people hearts. Punishment may be good for a moment, but it brings disastrous problems in future as the child or students that have been punished were pain emotionally and mentally. They might hold grunge and attack the doers in future. As if punishment continuously used, grunge and hatred will blind happiness in doing whatever they like.