At the beginning of the school year, a second grade teacher gave prizes such as toys and pencils to students who performed well on tests. As the school year progressed, she transitioned to giving stickers and certificates. By the end of the year, the reward for a high test score was verbal praise. What is most likely the teacher's rationale for progressing from tangible rewards to non-tangible rewards?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The teacher most likely progressed from giving tangible rewards to non-tangible rewards in order to promote intrinsic sources of motivation rather than extrinsic sources. Lifelong learners are typically motivated by the good feelings associated with the learning itself. Tangible rewards decrease the likelihood that a student will develop intrinsic sources of motivation because they externalize the source of the good feelings. Using non-tangible rewards, such as verbal praise, triggers a good feeling that is more easily transferred to the event of performing well on the test.

At the Beginning of the School Year, a Second Grade