The Application of Reward and Punishment in Teaching Adolescents

Abstract

Behaviorism theory proposes reward and punishment to help students succeed in learning. The implementation of rewards and punishment in teaching adolescents may bring some positive impacts on students learning. This paper explores how existing literature discusses the notion of rewards and punishment in the context of learning and how the rewards and punishment could affect students' learning theoretically. This paper also reviews what sort of activities teachers can do to implement rewards and punishment in a proper way. To answer these questions, the so-called 'library research' has been conducted. This was done by browsing, reading, and critically reviewing some related secondary sources such as books, journal articles. This study found that theoritically rewards would increase students' motivation to learn and work harder. The rewards and punishment will also increase students' interest in a particular subject. This will lead to a situation where rewards can motivate students to have good performance. In conclusion, this study indicates that if implemented wisely, rewards and punishment would bring a lot of positive effects on students' motivation and performance.