Should students get paid for good grades to achieve scholastic improvement? Sometimes teachers may hear excuses of students as to why they didn’t do their homework or didn’t study, but bringing allowances in the mix is a tricky subject to pick at. The perception of money itself can be different for each individual, not to mention for the mind of children developing a perspective of life based on the actions of the adults that surround themselves with, not much as for their own experience.
Some psychologists have given the reference to introduce kids to having allowances until they are 8 years old. Before that, other concepts are still been learned and this can be taken out of hand quite quickly, so waiting for at least they have 8, can have more structure to the parents’ main goal. This is the most important thing in all this: Why parents are giving the child money for? Because if it is to manage it, it would be until they are older than 10 which they have shown a better comprehension of the concept of managing money.
Getting money to students for good grades would give their needed experience with money?
Yes, it might give them the experience with money, but the main way it can be learned is by example. Here is when the parents’ behavior surrounding money is what is important. Parents are the ones that show how they manage the house expenses or how they approach the subject of money management. Investing, saving, spending, or giving to charities are things that are learned little by little due to being perceived as options available to them.
Using it to motivate better grades
It may motivate them to do better, but ineffective study habits will still be present, making it difficult to achieve scholastic improvement. Besides, for a long-term solution, given money will just hinder their expectations of what will be attained from their actions, they will expect something in return for all their effort. Another side of this is that not all effort could be beneficial for the goal of getting good grades, hindering their self-image, associating the motivation of money as negative.
The key to all this
Improving academic preparation is acquired by better study habits, not money, or a reward system, for the long-term. Rewarding the student from time to time is a good activity, but not the only way for good grades or good behavior to be achieved.