Paying children to do well in school?

[diddle]

Unsurprisingly, it works. Children get better grades when they receive immediate rewards.

It's not hard to imagine why, to paraphrase one of the article's words it is easier to just hand the kids money for getting good grades immmediately rather than expect their immature minds to have the foresight to understand that they won't see any real payoff from doing well in school with a proper education until their mid to late twenties, and for many later than that considering student loans.

There are quite a few articles/studies that can be googled on the matter, it's not a new subject by any means but figured it to be interesting conversation starter.

I'm torn, it works but wouldn't that cause kids to get used to instant gratification and never learn the benefit and discipline of long-time planning and delayed rewards? Then again, the children were shown to have learned the material faster and more comprehensively when tested because they knew there would be an immediate reward.

[Deleted]

who is supposed to pay the kids? tax payers?

how much money are we talking about?

I think if it works it works, things like longtime planning and delayed rewards are fine, but when I was in school I know I could have needed some kind of immediate reward. The important question is how do we fund this?

[diddle]

who is supposed to pay the kids? tax payers?

how much money are we talking about?

By no means the taxpayers, I can't recall exactly but pretty sure the parents or the foundations that conducted the studies. It was pretty much like $10 per good grade and that amount increased as they got to middle school, high school, et cetera. Amounts of money that kids value greatly nothing ridiculous. There have been many studies, and they vary in approach. All I know is every one of them came up with the same result.

[Deleted]

Thats what pocket money/allowances are for, they can work hard at school or get a job.

[Gheld]

The problem is you can do well in school without ever learning how to think for yourself.

[IIamaKing]

I pay for "A's". 5 bucks per, BUT any grade lower than a "C" and I take 5 buck off. IE 2 "A's" and 2 "C's" and a "B" she get no money but 3 "A's" and 2 "C's" and she gets 5 bucks.

Since I started this she has progressively gotten better grades from a C average to a A average.

[Deleted]

The problem is you can do well in school without ever learning how to think for yourself.

yep..sad but true. school encourages memorizing tons of useless stuff, but actually understanding what you learned and gaining the ability to learn stuff by yourself.. oh dear

[Tradewind]

who is supposed to pay the kids? tax payers?

how much money are we talking about?

I think if it works it works, things like longtime planning and delayed rewards are fine, but when I was in school I know I could have needed some kind of immediate reward. The important question is how do we fund this?

I don't see where they ever suggested the government does it...so down boy!

Parents maybe, but as Rich pointed out that's what an allowance is for.

[Kathandira]

I pay for "A's". 5 bucks per, BUT any grade lower than a "C" and I take 5 buck off. IE 2 "A's" and 2 "C's" and a "B" she get no money but 3 "A's" and 2 "C's" and she gets 5 bucks.

Since I started this she has progressively gotten better grades from a C average to a A average.

I love it! Not only does it teach to work towards a goal, but also teaches consequence.

[Deleted]

Thats what pocket money/allowances are for, they can work hard at school or get a job.

Try explaining that to a twelve year old

[diddle]

I pay for "A's". 5 bucks per, BUT any grade lower than a "C" and I take 5 buck off. IE 2 "A's" and 2 "C's" and a "B" she get no money but 3 "A's" and 2 "C's" and she gets 5 bucks.

Since I started this she has progressively gotten better grades from a C average to a A average.

Good stuff right there. At christmas I would always leave a few boxes of coal depending on how good they had been that year, in addition to all of the presents of course. Lets them know there's room for improvement. "That's five boxes of coal, five more presents you could have had."

[Tradewind]

Try explaining that to a twelve year old

12 year olds have jobs, they're called chores :P or at least they were when I was a kid.

[Deleted]

Try explaining that to a twelve year old

Most 12 year olds are not that stupid, in the UK they would be leaving school only 4 years later.

[Deleted]

Most 12 year olds are not that stupid, in the UK they would be leaving school only 4 years later.

I don't really get what you are trying to say.

[Zarghol]

Nothing on paying them for end term grades rather than "instant" payoff? How would that bit of long term planning work? I guess it makes sense, for my current job I motivate myself by figuring out how much I earn by the minute and go "theeeere's a dollar, aaaaand there's another one" etc. For the job I'll be doing when I'm all educated up I'll be knowing how much I'm paid for the job I'm doing and imagine that pot of gold at the end of the dreadful client meetings. I guess the long term goal of house and car and all that stuff matters a lot for the motivation, but then again I don't think it would be as fun to work for ten years on min living wage just because I know I'll get a big house and a fast car if I get through it..

[lordjust]

Thats what pocket money/allowances are for, they can work hard at school or get a job.

But do children realize that pocket money is a result of good grades? I mean back when I was a kid I got pocket money every month but I didn't get grades every month but only every 3 months. Also a lot of parents give their children a fixed amount of money every month or week and try to punish by reducing allowances.

I think instant gratification when getting good grades is a good way to teach children that hard work will make their life better and on top of that parents should give pocket money depending on how good they do in general. That way it's more like in real work where you get your payment every month and if you're doing great things (like being worker of the month) you get a bonus.

[Kathandira]

Most 12 year olds are not that stupid, in the UK they would be leaving school only 4 years later.

If this system was in place since the time they entered school, even at 16 years old it would be recognized and the goal would be worked towards.

[MerinPally]

My sister had to be paid to get her grades. I wasn't. I was told "get straight A's or else" so I got them, she was told the same, still didn't so they said "we'll pay you if you pass" so she passed and they paid... Seems rather backwards to me. Very annoying. No denying it works but now she can live fairly extravagantly for a student at her shitty uni and I can't at a good one. Granted, my degree will be worth 10x more what hers will (if she even graduates) but you can't help but sit there and feel it should be the other way round. If money was an issue for my family then I wouldn't be annoyed but... it isn't. Ah well.

[diddle]

My sister had to be paid to get her grades. I wasn't. I was told "get straight A's or else" so I got them, she was told the same, still didn't so they said "we'll pay you if you pass" so she passed and they paid... Seems rather backwards to me. Very annoying.

I absolutely agree. It's a difficult situation though for parents, there isn't much satisfaction in seeing your child a failure 15 years later just so you can say "I told you so!"

[OneSent]

What exactly does this teach children?

That getting good grades is the only purpose of school, regardless of whether they actually learn anything? (I mean, that is the purpose of schooling, but we shouldn't encourage it!) Or that money is the only motivation by which a person will do something they otherwise wouldn't care to do?

Of course, both of these things play perfectly in-line with how the system currently works; Parents don't really care whether or not their children are actually learning anything in school, just so long as they bring home good grades on their report card. Then the parents can brag to the rest of the family and to their friends about how "smart" their child is.

And paying someone to get good grades? Why that's just giving the child a head start in the narrow mentality of thinking that obtaining money outweighs personal happiness and contentment in life. Don't like doing something? Just throw a little money at it, it'll get done. Nothing like a little bribery to get the child to see things your way!

Children who go through this type of relationship with school will grow up to be a strong, obedient workers of the capitalist empire. They will behave like a trained animal who knows how to perform tricks because it received a doggy treat every time it appeased it's master.