Research proposal Motivation in children
Introduction
Motivation in children
Behaviors learnt by children are often associated with the consequences they expect out of it. These consequences may either be in form of a reward or a punishment depending on the individual prescribing it. Such consequences develop behavioral patterns in children when practiced over time. Consequences deemed pleasant with the children are often referred to as rewards while those deemed unpleasant are referred to as punishment. (Deci Flaste, 1996) Rewards offered to children can be tangible or intangible. Tangible rewards include special gifts, toys among others while intangible rewards include praise, extra play time among others. Punishments on the other hand may include corporal, privilege denial, limiting play time among others. (Deci Flaste, 1996) A debate however continues to rage on regarding which of the two is best suited to maximally motivate children. For instance one may want to know whether punishing children who fail to do their homework would motivate them to do the homework next time better than if the children were promised rewards for doing their homework on time. This paper will be seeking to answer the question as to whether children are better motivated by rewards or patients.
Purpose of the study
The study will be intended to create a comparison between the motivation effects that may be drawn from use of rewards as compared to punishments hence drawing a conclusion as to which of the two is effective in childrens motivation. In general, the study will focus on answering the aforementioned questions and hence recommend the better option between rewards and punishment as applicable in motivating children.
Research questions
Basically the research will focus on answering two questions namely
Is the use of rewards more effective in motivation of children as compared to use punishments
Is the use of punishment more effective in childrens motivation as compared to use of punishment
Hypothesis
The questions will thus help formulation of a hypothesis which will be
Null hypothesis, H0 use of rewards in motivation of children is more effective than use of punishment.
Alternative hypothesis, H1 use of punishment in motivation of children is more effective than use of rewards.
Objectives of the study
This study is intended to come up with a recommendation regarding the best method to be employed in motivating children as they grow. This will thus make it helpful to all the stakeholders who handle children including parents, teachers and caregivers of the children. The study will thus focus on proposing the best methods that can be employed in educating of the stakeholders in the best ways of upbringing a child.
Literature review
Introduction
Previous research has indicated that children who are motivated display agility and commitment to learn. Such commitment is crucial in social, emotional and academic development of children within their environment which include schools, home among others. (Brophy, 1998) Students who are motivated are more interested in their activities and put for the plenty of effort in a bid to achieve the set objectives. Such children also learn to seek out challenges and develop techniques that help them manage difficult situations. Additionally, they possess positive attitude towards the things they do and hence healthy problem solving skills. (Zins, 2004) This is achievable if all the stakeholders work together in reinforcing good values towards social, emotional and academic development of the children. These efforts serve the ultimate goal of developing the childrens knowledgeableness, responsibility, and care which ultimately will transform them into responsible and informed citizens.
Approaches to motivation
All stakeholders share a common goal of helping children grow up responsibly in life. Like previously mentioned, for realization of these goals children need to acquire solid foundations in social, emotional and academic skills. The childrens ability to recognize and manage emotions, develop concern and caring attitudes towards others, build positive relationships and be able to handle challenging situations require dedicated motivation from the stakeholders. (Denton, 2000) Evidence from previous research indicates that children learn best only if provided with appropriate and meaningful social and emotional guidance. Deeper understanding reveals that it is motivation that underlies this social and emotional guidance towards learning. Motivation acts as the stimulating factor and focus of childrens actions. It provides the internal state which can often be referred to as the the reason to do. The needs of the children, their thoughts and emotions each contribute to the motivation in children. Dating back to the middle 20th century, researchers have developed evidence based research linking motivation to positive behavior reinforcement.
However, different stakeholders take different approaches in offering of motivation to children the result has been a raging debate as to which direction needs to be taken in motivating children. While some believe that children need not be punished as a way of motivating them to do their activities, others uphold that punishment is able to yield far better results in motivating children to do activities.(Nelson, 1997) However in the end both reward oriented approach and punishment oriented approach take their own diverse techniques in handling motivation in children. Whichever is more effective still remain a question open to discussion given that different researchers have proposed contradicting positions regarding the two. Nelson in his book opens by stating that he cannot remember ever doing anything in school for expectation of reward but rather it was fear of punishment that helped him go through. (Nelson, 1997) On the other hand Brophy describes rewarding as a tool that helps children be themselves, self responsible and learn to be confident about the things they do. (Brophy, 1998) The two simply represent the divergent opinions held by various individuals as to the effectiveness of reward or punishment. The scenario then is somehow threefold with reward on one side, punishment on the other and a combination of both on the other side. Whichever caries the day is a question that only time can answer. However, one thing that is evident is that children require motivation and thus proper mechanism for administering the same must be researched on and appropriately developed.
Research Methodology
Research design
The research will be conducted in an elementary school in a class of approximately 40 pupils aged between 6 to 9 years old. The requirements will include rewarding materials for rewarding the children, and data sheet to be used to record results. Once the parents have signed parental consent forms, the children will be prepared for assignment. The children whose parents have signed consent forms will be the only ones subject to the research. The steps involved will include
With the help of the class teacher, the children will be given homework and promised cup-cakes for those who will effectively complete their homework.
The following day, the number of those who have completed their homework will be recorded. Those who have completed their assignment will be offered cup-cakes. Children will then be assigned homework with the threat of having a lunch detention for those who fail to complete their homework.
The next day, the number of those who have completed their assignment will be recorded and those who have not completed their homework detained during lunch hour.
The same process will be done alternating one for the other for a period of one month. However the activities for which the reward or punishment is to be offered will be altered with each day. The activities will be used alternately i.e. if the previous activity attracted a reward for those who adequately perform it, the next will involve a threat of punishment for those who fail to complete their activity appropriately.
During the whole process the numbers will be recorded on daily basis in a table. (See appendix 1)
Sampling
The children who will be subject to the experiment will be only those whose parents have signed the consent forms. To produce a uniform results the same class and pupils will be used during the period. The sample will thus be non-random and more specific. The sample will therefore comprise of approximately 40 students.
Variables
The variables in the experiment will include
The number of children who complete their assignment as a result of the promise of a reward, x
The number of children who complete their results as a result of the threat of punishment, y
Methods of data collection
The data will be collected quantitatively by direct counting of the children who complete their assignment with regard to the kind of motivation offered on that day. The number will then be recorded as appropriate in the data sheet.
Data analysis Interpretation
Data Analysis
The data will then be interpreted statistically by calculation of the men and standard deviation. Using the recorded values of across the month of those children who complete their assignment on the promise of a reward, x the mean QUOTE will be calculated as shown below
QUOTE QUOTE
Likewise the mean of the children, who completed their homework as a result of the threat of punishment, QUOTE will be calculated as shown
QUOTE QUOTE
The mean obtained will then be used to calculate the variance of x and y as shown below
And
Data interpretation
The data will be interpreted based on the calculations that will be obtained from the afore-stated calculations. This will be based on the earlier stated hypothesis H0 and H1.
For null hypothesis
H0 QUOTE QUOTE
If the null hypothesis holds, then it can be concluded that rewards have more effect on motivation of children as compared to punishment. Otherwise the alternative hypothesis is considered.
If the null hypothesis fails to stand then the alternative hypothesis stands where
H1 QUOTE QUOTE
If for both H0 and H1 QUOTE QUOTE then the results will be interpreted to mean both have similar effect level of motivation.
The standard deviation on the other hand will reflect the level to which different kinds of rewards or punishment motivate children for example a large Sx will mean that different rewards have varying effects on the level of motivation and likewise Sy will mean that different kinds of punishments present varying levels of motivation to the kids.
Ethics and human relations
The research draws its moral and ethical support from the fact that it is intended to improve the well being of the children. Before the start of the research however, all the relevant authorities will be consulted and appropriate permission sought. (Market Research Society, 2000) Given that the research will involve minors, the appropriate consent of the legal guidelines of the children will be sought prior to the research.(see appendix 2) Personal data regarding the children will also be kept confidentiality and will not be released to the public or any unauthorized persons as provided for by the relevant laws. (Christensen, 2000)
Research timeline
The period that the research will run will be as indicated below
Activity Week 1- 2Week 3 - 4
Week 5 - 8Week 9 - 10Preliminary research on previous literature. Pre-research preparation including acquisition of relevant consent and contacting of relevant authorities and administration Research process Data analysis in interpretation
Conclusion
The research will help determine which between rewards and punishments would motivate students more. Through its careful research and analytical framework the results produced would be more reflective of the actual situation. However, some challenges are likely to be produced including the following
Given that all the other factors which may have impact of the pupils cannot be kept constant, the results are bound to possess some degree of inaccuracy.
The resulting agility by the children could result into some unnatural behaviors which may result into deviation in results.
Given the schools have set out curriculum within which they operate the research will have to be crafted in such a way that it fits the curriculum rather than the purpose for which it is intended.
However, by involvement of the teacher, parents among other stakeholders the possibility of variations which may result from these variations will be limited. The success of this research will thus be dependent on the contribution of the stakeholders involved.
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