Video · Teachers Media
Rewards
Reward systems in schools sit somewhere on the spectrum between "essential motivational scaffolding" and "corrupting force that damages intrinsic motivation" — depending on who you ask. The evidence is more nuanced than either camp suggests, and the practical question is how to use rewards deliberately rather than by default.
About this video
The academic literature on extrinsic rewards in learning is famously conflicted. Deci and Ryan's Self-Determination Theory argues that tangible rewards for interesting tasks can undermine intrinsic motivation over time — the "overjustification effect". Other researchers (particularly Cameron and Pierce) have argued that this effect is smaller and more context-dependent than SDT suggests, and that appropriately-used rewards can support learning without harm.
The pragmatic consensus in UK schools is that rewards work best when they're: proportionate (small, frequent recognition rather than large, rare prizes); specific (naming what the pupil did well, not just giving generic praise); linked to effort or improvement rather than fixed ability; and used to build rather than to bribe. A reward that says "well done for persisting with the harder examples" strengthens something worth strengthening. A reward that says "have a sticker if you shut up" doesn't.
Whole-school reward systems — house points, achievement points, virtual currencies — have similar tradeoffs. They can create shared language and celebration, but they can also inflate over time (pupils learn that everyone gets points, so points mean less), and they tend to be gamed by pupils who chase points rather than the underlying behaviour. The best systems are simple, meaningful, and periodically refreshed.
Designing rewards that don't backfire
- Reward effort and improvement, not fixed ability. "You worked through the difficult problems" beats "you're so clever".
- Be specific. "I noticed you helped Sam without being asked" tells the pupil what to repeat. "Good job" tells them nothing.
- Small and frequent beats large and rare. Named recognition throughout a term is more powerful than one big prize at the end.
- Keep the system meaningful. If everyone gets a Star of the Week, no one's a star.
- Watch for over-reliance. If pupils only work when rewards are on offer, the reward system is doing damage. Introduce tasks pupils do for their own sake.
Discussion prompts
- What behaviours does your school's reward system actually reward? Are they the ones you'd most want to encourage?
- When was the last time you gave a pupil specific praise that they seemed genuinely to value? What made it work?
- How do you handle the pupil who is only motivated by extrinsic reward? Where do you start to build intrinsic engagement?
Try this in your classroom
- For a week, replace generic praise ("well done", "good job") with specific, named praise ("you kept going after you got that one wrong — that's exactly what mathematicians do").
- Track your own reward-giving for a lesson. Who did you praise, for what? Any patterns you'd rather change?
- Audit your school's reward system: what proportion of rewards go to what proportion of pupils, for what?