Positive & Negative Reinforcement in Child Education

Positive reinforcement at home and school – good or bad?

There are plenty of factors contributing to the education of a child. Family disputes, bullying, and learning disabilities are just some of the issues children are faced with, even from a very young age. Discipline, however, could be a major contributing factor to the behavior of a child. Furthermore, how exactly does discipline affect a child’s education Throughout the school system in the U.S., teachers working with students, even with younger children at elementary schools, student discipline is a major issue. The amount of attitude, non-compliance, rudeness, and even aggressiveness across schools is outrageous and parents and school staff sometimes do not see eye to eye about enforcing the right behavior. For instance, when a child needs to have a consequence for their wrongdoing, the parents are not always on the same page with school staff. Quite the contrary, some parents turn everything around and blame the school for their child’s misbehavior. Thus, it is not a bad thing to teach a child to respect, have manners, and follow the rules. Furthermore, discipline does play a very important role in a child’s education, and there are various ways and methods to implement discipline.

Within my research, I have found many articles about positive reinforcement and negative reinforcement. What is positive and negative reinforcement? “Positive reinforcement works by presenting a motivating/reinforcing stimulus to the person after the desired behavior is exhibited, making the behavior more likely to happen in the future. Negative reinforcement occurs when a certain stimulus (usually an aversive stimulus) is removed after a particular behavior is exhibited. The likelihood of the particular behavior occurring again in the future is increased because of removing/avoiding the negative consequence. Negative reinforcement should not be thought of as a punishment procedure. With negative reinforcement, you are increasing a behavior, whereas with punishment, you are decreasing a behavior.” (Prince) With punishment, always remember that the end result is to try to decrease the undesired behavior. Positive punishment involves adding an aversive consequence after an undesired behavior is emitted to decrease future responses. Negative punishment includes taking away a certain reinforcing item after the undesired behavior happens in order to decrease future responses. It should be noted that research shows that positive consequences are more powerful than negative consequences for improving behavior. (Prince)

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According to Jack Michael, these methods were first presented in 1938, by B.F. Skinner, in his book, The Behavior of Organisms. After a series of experiments and his research, he shows how These terms and their uses are not new, they merely are not being implemented often and/or are not being used properly because of the lack of knowledge of the way it should be used. Additionally, the terms “positive” and “negative” are being confused for what those term are usually used for.

Additionally, reinforcement, whether positive or negative, means that a behavior is being encouraged, while punishment, on the other hand, is meant to discourage the behavior. In terms of behavior with reinforcement and punishment, the terms positive and negative are not used in the way these words are usually mean. These terms can be a bit confusing, but we can think of positive in the sense of something being “added” and negative being something that is “removed or taken away”. (Craig) Studies show that all four of these methods of modifying behavior are an effective way to teach discipline and responsibility. There are many ways to implement these types behavior-changing methods that will result in modified behavior.

Furthermore, will enforcing discipline help a child’s ability to learn better? There are many positive outcomes resulting from reinforcement, not only improving a child’s ability to learn, this could also help teach children responsibility including using good manners. Currently, teachers struggle with being able to effectively apply these strategies to their lessons. Teachers new and old are experiencing adversity when applying current teaching techniques such as positive reinforcement in their classrooms. Many teachers argue that all staff should be thoroughly trained to be able to implement these strategies, in order to have a more effective outcome. If all the school staff is on the same page with these methods, then the result of more good student behavior would be more likely. Although it takes time to become fluent in any teaching strategy it is very important that teachers start with building a positive relationship between their students, and their teaching peers as well. It is only when a student trusts their positive role model that they are able to benefit from positive reinforcement in their classroom. Through research it is proven that students will benefit from positive reinforcement in the classroom if used effectively by disciplined staff. (Rumfola) Good student behavior is often overlooked, and children do not get praised for doing things the right way, using their manners, being polite, etc. In some instances, this is why many students do not care about increasing their good behavior because it is not encouraged. By using positive reinforcement, this makes the child feel good about themselves and about their behavior and will result with the child continuing to behave in such manner.

Enforcing discipline, using positive and negative reinforcement, would work best if it is used at school and at home, according to research. Most teachers have a very strict schedule and their time to actually teach is limited. If they have constant behavior problems, then it becomes absolutely impossible for them to teach in the time they are given. However, if parents are not enforcing this type of reinforcement at home as well, then it may not be as effective and could just confuse the child. The ways of implementing any of these methods for better behavior are endless and usually involve rewards that are low to no cost. Positive reinforcement doesn’t actually have to be something like a tangible item. Instead, the options for complimenting a student for their behavior include giving a high five, offering praise, giving a hug or pat on the back, giving a thumbs-up, clapping and cheering, and speaking with another adult about how proud you are of your child’s behavior while your child is listening. (Morin) The development of a child is something that never stops and just keeps growing as they are growing up. Most of the time the behavior they display is a behavior they have heard or seen someone else doing before. For example, if a child sees that their father does not like vegetables, therefore, does not eat them, then the child will most likely mimic what they see. It is almost impossible, and very confusing to the child, to try and encourage a child to do something when they are witnessing the exact opposite. Some examples of Positive Reinforcement are:

• The students in a teacher’s class receive a sticker if they completed their homework.
• A child is rewarded with $1 for every A he receives on his/her report card.
• The students in a classroom receive a cookie party on Friday if all students had excellent behavior all week.

Negative Reinforcement includes:

• A child can go watch television, after they finish all of their vegetables.
• A child cleans their room so that their mom will stop nagging them.
• A child presses the “stop” button when the loud alarm starts going off.

Positive Punishment includes:

• A child gets yelled at by the teacher for picking his nose.
• A child does not finish his work in class and has to finish the work for homework along with the initial homework he/she had for the day.

Negative Punishment includes:

• A child hits one of his classmates and has to sit out while all other students play in the playground outside for recess.
• A child yells at their mom at the store and the mom does not buy the toy he/she wanted her to buy.
• A child hits their sibling and the child gets their favorite electronic taken away.

Behavior modification assumes that observable and measurable behaviors are good targets for change. All behavior follows a set of consistent rules. Methods can be developed for defining, observing, and measuring behaviors, as well as designing effective interventions. Behavior modification techniques never fail. Rather, they are either applied inefficiently or inconsistently, which leads to less than desired change. All behavior is maintained, changed, or shaped by the consequences of that behavior. Although there are certain limits, such as temperamental or emotional influences related to ADHD or depression, all children function more effectively under the right set of consequences. Reinforcers are consequences that strengthen behavior. Punishments are consequences that weaken behavior. (Mather and Goldstein) All children are unique and learn in different ways and some techniques work better with some children than with others, but with the amount of resources and adequate training, a child’s behavior could be improved tremendously. Although, implementing these techniques with students with more sensitive learning disabilities can be a challenge, it is very possible and even more effective. With technology being so advanced, now days, the opportunities and options are endless. According to reports, teachers are more intense and controlling when interacting with children with ADHD. Within school settings, children with ADHD appear to experience negative consequences because of their temperament and a performance history that often involves beginning but not completing tasks. Many teachers in this circumstance unfortunately tend to focus on the misbehavior rather than on the reduction or termination of the behavior. This may further disrupt the classroom by disturbing other students. This naturally occurring pattern of teachers paying less attention to desirable behavior and more attention to undesirable behavior, as children progress through school, places children with ADHD at a greater disadvantage than their classmates. (Mather and Goldstein)

Discipline in schools has changed very much and is definitely not like old times. It wasn’t too long ago that school rooms were places of stern words and plentiful discipline. It was commonplace for teachers to favor harsh punishment over positive punishment, including using the cane. Now, however, it is recognized that there are more effective ways to teach and to manage classrooms. Techniques such as the ones stated above, like, positive and negative reinforcement, and positive and negative punishment. These are all forms of learning whereby the contingency between a specific behavior and a desirable or undesirable consequence help increase the likelihood of the behavior recurring. (Craig) Using these techniques, allow children to have much better ways to improve their behavior and get praised for continuing that behavior, instead of the old way of only punishment.

In conclusion, positive and negative reinforcement along with positive and negative punishment have a very powerful impact on a child’s behavior. The interest that an adult puts into a child’s life and education is so important and can be memorable for a child. Taking the time to implement methods like these can definitely help a child’s ability to learn and behave better. Even though, children may be facing many other personal challenges, this type of reinforcement can be very helpful to their everyday outlook and can even be life changing. Improving a child’s behavior is not only beneficial for the child, but if used at school and at home properly then parents, along with teachers can definitely benefit from this as equally.

Works Cited

1. Craig, Heather. “5 Activities For Using Positive Reinforcement in the Classroom.” PositivePsychology.com, 7 Nov. 2019, https://positivepsychology.com/positive-reinforcement-classroom/.
2. Mather, Nancy, and Goldstein,Sam. “Behavior Modification In The Classroom.” Center for Development and Learning, 01 Jan. 2001, https://www.cdl.org/articles/behavior-modification-in-the-classroom/.
3. Michael, Jack. “Positive and Negative Reinforcement, a Distinction That Is No Longer Necessary; Or a Better Way to Talk about Bad Things.” Behaviorism, vol. 3, no. 1, 1975, pp. 33–44. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/27758829.
4. Morin, Amy. “Improve Your Child's Behavior Problems With Positive Reinforcement.” Verywell Family, Verywell Family, 13 Sept. 2019, https://www.verywellfamily.com/positive-reinforcement-child-behavior-1094889.
5. Prince, Kelley. “The Difference between Positive/Negative Reinforcement and Positive/Negative Punishment.” Behavior Analysts Tampa: ABA Therapy, Autism, Behavior Problems, 6 Feb. 2013, https://bcotb.com/the-difference-between-positivenegative-reinforcement-and-positivenegative-punishment/.
6. Rumfola, Lindsey, 'Positive Reinforcement Positively Helps Students in the Classroom' (2017). Education and Human Development Master's Theses. 786. http://digitalcommons.brockport.edu/ehd_theses/786