‘What Do I Get If I Do It?’ The Cost of Rewards

by MiddleWeb ·

Published 03/09/2022 · Updated 01/20/2025

By Dr. Debbie Silver

In her article "‘What Do I Get If I Do It?’ The Cost of Rewards," published on MiddleWeb, Dr. Debbie Silver examines the impact of external rewards on student motivation, emphasizing the importance of fostering intrinsic motivation in the classroom. Silver’s exploration of the topic highlights the unintended consequences of reward systems and offers strategies for educators to prioritize effective feedback over extrinsic motivators.

The Challenges of External Rewards

Dr. Silver begins by acknowledging the decline in student motivation during recent years, prompting educators to adopt various reward systems. From digital badges to ClassDojo points, these strategies aimed to engage students and promote positive behavior. However, Silver questions the reliance on external motivators, suggesting that they may prioritize short-term compliance over long-term learning and self-regulation.

Silver categorizes rewards into three types:

1. Task-Contingent Rewards: Given for participation without considering performance quality. These rewards often focus on compliance and can undermine intrinsic motivation.

2. Performance-Contingent Rewards: Offered when students meet a specific standard of achievement. While more targeted, they still risk overshadowing intrinsic motivation.

3. Success-Contingent Rewards: Based on achievement or progress toward a goal. This category provides a more equitable approach but does not fully address the need for intrinsic engagement.

Research indicates that task-contingent rewards can be counterproductive, while performance- and success-contingent rewards offer marginally better outcomes. Ultimately, Silver challenges educators to ask, “Do rewards help students become better learners?”

The Role of Effective Feedback

Silver emphasizes that intrinsic motivation can be cultivated through meaningful and timely feedback. Drawing on research by Teresa Amabile and others, she identifies key characteristics of effective feedback:

• Timeliness: Feedback should be provided as soon as possible after task completion to maximize its impact.

• Specificity: Descriptive and detailed feedback enables students to understand what they did well and where improvement is needed.

• Positivity: Encouraging feedback fosters confidence and motivates students to persist in their efforts.

• Autonomy: Students should be involved in identifying areas for improvement and developing their own strategies for growth.

• Observation-Based: Feedback should focus on objective observations rather than assumptions about a student’s intentions or abilities.

Silver also highlights the importance of limiting feedback overload, as excessive critique can overwhelm and disengage students. Instead, educators should prioritize actionable and manageable suggestions.

The Drawbacks of Overusing Rewards

While rewards can sometimes serve as effective motivators, Silver warns against their overuse. Research by Daniel Pink and others suggests that extrinsic motivators can stifle creativity, diminish self-efficacy, and detract from the joy of learning. For instance, routine tasks with limited creative potential may benefit from rewards, but their use in dynamic, exploratory learning environments can undermine student agency and curiosity.

Silver recounts her own experiences as a teacher who initially relied on rewards to promote positive behavior. Over time, she observed that these systems often fostered competition rather than collaboration, detracting from her goal of nurturing intrinsic motivation and self-regulation.

Shifting the Focus to Intrinsic Motivation

To move away from a reliance on rewards, Silver advocates for fostering a growth mindset and self-motivation through intentional teaching practices. This includes:

• Recognizing and celebrating progress to build students’ confidence.

• Providing opportunities for students to reflect on their achievements and set personal goals.

• Designing tasks that align with students’ interests and strengths to encourage engagement.

• Encouraging perseverance by emphasizing effort over innate ability.

Silver concludes by asserting that the ultimate goal of education is to develop self-reliant, intrinsically motivated learners who are prepared for lifelong success. She encourages educators to evaluate the impact of their reward systems and prioritize feedback and relationship-building as more sustainable strategies for fostering motivation.

Final Reflections

Dr. Silver’s article challenges educators to reconsider the role of rewards in the classroom and highlights the importance of fostering intrinsic motivation through meaningful feedback and supportive teaching practices. While rewards may provide temporary boosts in engagement, they often fall short of cultivating the long-term skills and attitudes needed for academic and personal success.

For further insights, read the full article by Dr. Debbie Silver at MiddleWeb: https://www.middleweb.com/28189/what-do-i-get-if-i-do-it-the-cost-o....

Original Article

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Prepared with the assistance of AI software

OpenAI. (2025). ChatGPT (4) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com