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