The Effect of a Simple Reward Model on the Academic Achievement of Syrian Dental Students

Year 2020, Volume: 5 Issue: 4, 308 - 314, 01.10.2020

Aous Dannan

https://doi.org/10.24331/ijere.750108

Abstract

Reward systems in teaching are important keys which aim at enhancing students’ academic
achievements. Studying the effects of rewards, as extrinsic motivators, on college students is
somehow underestimated in the literature. The aim of the current study was to investigate the effect
of a simple tangible reward on the academic achievement of Syrian dental students. A total of 139
dental students, assigned to four classes, were enrolled in the study. After completion of a first exam,
all students who got full marks (i.e. 20 marks) were awarded a “Certificate of Achievement”. Four
weeks later, a second exam related to the same course took place, and the same process of
certification for students with full marks was performed. Records of students’ marks of both first and
second exams were collected and statistically analyzed. The results showed no statistically
significant differences between groups (i.e. classes) neither for first exam nor for second exam marks.
The mean of marks for the first and second exams were (10.62±4.88) and (14.63±4.07) respectively.
The difference of means’ records for all students between first and second exams was statistically
significant. It was concluded that a tangible reward in the form of “certificate” had a positive effect
on the dental students’ academic achievements. Enhancement of students’ motivation through
reward systems should come under focus in higher educational institutions.

Keywords

Reward, dental student, academic achievement

References

• Adelman HS, Taylor L. (1990). Intrinsic motivation and school misbehavior: Some intervention implications. Journal of Learning Disabilities. 23(9):541-550. Amabile TM, Gitomer J. (1984). Children's artistic creativity: Effects of choice in task materials. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. 10(2):209-215. Baranek, L. K. (1996). The effect of rewards and motivation on student achievement. Master Thesis. Covington, M. V. (1999). Caring about learning: The nature and nurturing of subject-matter appreciation. Educational Psychologist, 34(2), 127-136. Covington, M. V. (2000). Intrinsic versus extrinsic motivation in schools: A reconciliation. Current directions in psychological Science, 9(1), 22-25. Deci EL. (1971). Effects of externally mediated rewards on intrinsic motivation. Journal of personality and Social Psychology. 18(1):105. Deci EL. (1972a). The effects of contingent and non-contingent rewards and controls on intrinsic motivation. Organizational behavior and human performance. 8(2):217-229. Deci EL. (1972b). Intrinsic motivation, extrinsic reinforcement, and inequity. Journal of personality and social psychology. 22(1):113. Dweck CS. (1986). Motivational processes affecting learning. American psychologist. 41(10):1040. Festinger L, Carlsmith JM. (1959). Cognitive consequences of forced compliance. The journal of abnormal and social psychology. 58(2):203. Harackiewicz JM, Barron KE, Elliot AJ. (1998). Rethinking achievement goals: When are they adaptive for college students and why? Educational psychologist. 33(1):1-21. Johnson D. (1999). Creating Fat Kids Who Don't Like to Read. Library Talk. 12(4):64-64. Lepper MR, Greene D, Nisbett RE. (1973). Undermining children's intrinsic interest with extrinsic reward: A test of the" overjustification" hypothesis. Journal of Personality and social Psychology. 28(1):129. Lin Y-G, McKeachie WJ, Kim YC. (2003). College student intrinsic and/or extrinsic motivation and learning. Learning and individual differences. 13(3):251-258. McCullers JC, Fabes RA, Moran JD. (1987). Does intrinsic motivation theory explain the adverse effects of rewards on immediate task performance? Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 52(5):1027. McKeachie, W. J. (1961). Motivation, teaching methods, and college learning. University of Michigan. (pp. 111-146) Pintrich PR. (2000). Multiple goals, multiple pathways: The role of goal orientation in learning and achievement. Journal of educational psychology. 92(3):544. Scott Jr W. (1976). The effects of extrinsic rewards on “intrinsic motivation”: A critique. Organizational Behavior and Human Performance. 15(1):117-129. Spulding CL. (1992). Motivation in the classroom. McGraw-H