R6
Although it was interesting to read Kohn’s and Chance’s different views on the effects of extrinsic rewards in school, it was also troubling for me to read the ridiculous assumptions Kohn made in regards to Chance’s statements in his first article. As you probably sense by now, I am siding with Chance on his claims about reinforcement and punishment. It is common knowledge that there is not always a guarantee that a behavior will change for the better or be repeated when there is a reward being presented. Chance mentioned a passage from one of Dickinson’s writings, saying, “The evidence, then, shows that extrinsic rewards can either enhance or reduce interest in an activity, depending on how they are used” (p. 119). Thus, I believe that Chance’s main point in the article is the emphasis on how rewards should be given to students, and that the teachers should be persistent with giving them.
Kohn believes that rewards are used to manipulate and control people, in which, any form of extrinsic rewards are bad. If Kohn actually thinks that these positive gestures are manipulative and controlling and that they should not be applied anywhere, then I wonder how miserable it would be having him as a boss, a teacher, or even a dad. The reality is that it would be impossible to rid any form of extrinsic rewards in school or any other setting. There will always be forms of reinforcement in our society-certificates, degrees, bonuses, promotions, handshakes, verbal praise, etc. However, many people, like Kohn, believe that extrinsic rewards damage intrinsic motivation.
Sometimes, extrinsic motivation should be used in order for there to be effective learning in the classroom. If a child is not intrinsically motivated to read, then why should a teacher accept that instead of creating methods that would extrinsically make reading attractive to the student? We are all not always intrinsically motivated to do certain tasks, yet we find extrinsic motivation to continue and accomplish them. Those extrinsic motivators will lead to us developing a habit to do those tasks in which we are not intrinsically motivated to do. According to William James, “And since this, . . ., it follows first of all that the teacher’s prime concern should be to ingrain into the pupil that assortment of habits that shall be most useful to him throughout life” (James, 1899/2001, p. 34). I believe that teachers rewarding students for their behavioral and academic accomplishments is a way for them to teach them good habits. Therefore, the student will not only make it a habit to read each night, but it is a good possibility that the child will acquire new knowledge, and he or she will develop an intrinsic like for it.
Also, intrinsic motivation for a particular task does not always live forever. As a little girl, I practiced a martial art called ShorinRyu Karate Dojo. I was intrinsically motivated for many years. I taught classes, won several sparring matches, got constantly recommended by my sensei to spar in Korea for competitions, and got belt promotions. Yet, after awhile I got bored and decided to no longer practice martial arts because I wanted to be involved with other activities. Both the intrinsic and extrinsic motivations did not keep me interested in martial arts.
Considering the fact that all individuals are affected differently by various extrinsic rewards and intrinsic motivation, it is safe to take a pragmatic approach, if it works for an individual in that particular situation is what matters. For anyone to generalize and say what works best for students is nonsensical. We do not know the general effects of extrinsic rewards. The fact that what works best for one student may not for another student. We should just consider the individual, and as Chance said, how extrinsic rewards should be presented to students.

James, W. (1899/2001). Talks to teachers on psychology and to students on some of life's ideals. Mineola, NY: Dover