Mon Dec 9

Should we give students awards at school?

Written by Elise Waghorn, Lecturer, School of Education, RMIT University

It’s almost the end of the school year. And that means it’s “awards season” for school students.

Before the holidays, students, teachers and families will gather for speech days where awards will be handed out for academic performance, citizenship, leadership and extracurricular achievements in sport, art and music.

Schools bill these awards as a way to recognise and celebrate students’ achievements. But are they a good idea?

Why give awards?

The philosophy behind giving students awards is to reward them for success.

This stems from the behaviourism approach ^[1] to education.

This highlights how external rewards can influence behaviour. But while these rewards might motivate kids in the short term, once the desire for that reward fades, the behaviour often doesn’t stick ^[2].

Different kinds of motivation

Research has also shown ^[4] giving awards or rewards to children can be more harmful than helpful.

When kids are offered awards, they can shift their focus from enjoying the activity to trying to earn the award. This means they might participate only for the sake of the award, rather than for the joy of learning or personal growth. This means they are motivated by extrinsic (outside) factors rather than intrinsic (internal) ones.

A 2014 US study ^[5] of children in years 3 to 5 showed students who were intrinsically motivated performed better academically than their peers who were extrinsically motivated. The study used a scale to assess children’s motivation. An example of intrinsic motivation was, “I ask questions in class because I want to learn new”, while extrinsic motivation included, “I like school subjects where it’s pretty easy to just learn the answers”.

Awards can also lead children to depend on external validation ^[6]. When kids get used to seeking approval through awards, they may struggle to find self-worth and motivation in their own efforts.

Primary students in uniforms sit on the floor in rows at an assembly.

A prize on speech day usually awards students for ‘success’. But not necessarily for effort or improvement. Jandrie Lombard/ Shutterstock ^[7]

What about the kids who miss out?

For the kids who don’t receive awards, this can lead to feelings of inadequacy or discouragement ^[8], especially if the same few children are always being celebrated.

This situation can also create a “fixed mindset ^[9]”, where kids think their abilities can’t change or improve (“I never get an award, I’m not good at school”).

This is opposed to a “growth mindset ^[10]”, in which students believe their abilities can improve through hard work, good strategies and help from others.

What can we do instead?

This is not to say schools should never give students awards. But it’s important to think carefully about why we are doing this and what the impact might be.

For parents – whether your child receives an award or not – there are other ways to talk about their achievement at the end of the school year.

It can help to focus no the process, rather than the product.

You can encourage your child by praising their effort and progress ^[12]. This means focusing on the hard work and improvements they made, rather than just the final results.

For example, you could say something like, “I noticed how hard you worked on your reading this year”. Or, “I could see how much you cared about your final history project”. This helps kids feel valued for their efforts ^[13]. This is something within their control and does not invite comparison with others.

Another effective strategy is to encourage self-reflection. Asking questions such as, “I know you found long division tricky this year. How did you overcome that challenge?”

This helps kids think about and recognise how they can grow and improve, even when things don’t go to plan.

This in turn, helps develop resilience ^[14], which is so important ^[15] for their learning at school and life beyond it.