Motivating Students to Stay in School Through Monetary Rewards

MOTIVATING STUDENTS TO STAY IN SCHOOL THROUGH MONETARY REWARDS

Motivating students to stay in

school through monetary rewards

Celeste Bazier

Walden University

Approximately once every minute, about the time it takes to read this page, a high school student in the United States makes the conscious decision to drop out of school (Azzam, 2007). Students drop out for many reasons, some which may even seem like good ones at the time, to help out their families or to start new ones of their own.. Their decisions may be supported by the people closest to them in the belief that they have no choice. But the consequences of leaving can be great, and there are many concrete things that schools and families can do to help students stay in school, or get an alternative education, and also meet their personal responsibilities. "Over the last decade, between 347,000 and 544,000 10th- through 12th-grade students left school each year without successfully completing a high school program" (Azzam, 2007).

The proportion of students who drop out of school varies quite widely across different racial, ethnic and socioeconomic lines.. The National Center for Education Statistics collects data on dropout rates, and their national data show that dropouts on average are (a) more likely to be of low socioeconomic status--students from the bottom fifth in family income were 6 times more likely to drop out than students in the top fifth--and (b) more likely to be male than female (58% vs. 42%). Dropout rates are higher among African Americans and Hispanic Americans youth and lower among Asian Americans, in comparison to Anglo-American students, although numerically more than half of dropouts are Anglo-American due to the larger overall number of students who are Anglo-American ( NCES, 2004 ).

It has been known for many years that young people who do not complete high school face many more problems in later life than do people who graduate. While

national leaders have demanded that schools, communities, and families make a major effort to retain students, the dropout rate remains high.

In a study conducted by Suh and Suh (2006), the relationship between educational attainment and high school engagement was investigated. A sample of 1,403 high school drop outs was given a questionnaire. These questions were designed to answer locus of control, expectation of graduation, absences from school, homework completion, organizational techniques, and ones feelings about oneself. Results revealed that the three factors positively correlated to high school attainment were academic aspiration, organizational skill, and locus of control. These qualities were strongly apparent in the 67.4% of drop-outs who eventually went back to school to attain their degree. Educational engagement is important because it facilitates independent learning, especially for high school students. According to Suh and Suh (2006), "Students who drop out but are independent learners have a higher likelihood of completing a high school education after dropping out ". Cognitively, one has to discern the benefits of education while empowering oneself to achieve it.

My belief is that a high percentage of those students who dropped out of school, for reasons other than lack of motivation, return to school and complete their degree or an equivalent, thus motivation and attitude being the key factors in high school completion among previous drop-outs. According to Sternberg (2006), the brain is an intricate part of motivation. It is regulated through internal stimuli (other organs), as well as outside stimuli. The brain is reactive as well as directive.

To test this hypothesis, I would enlist two groups of high school drop-outs. Those who chose to leave school due to boredom, poor grades, poor attendance and general disengagement with school, with those high school students who dropped out due to family emergencies, financial difficulties, and unplanned pregnancies. A survey would be administered focusing on locus of control (does the individual think they have control over obtaining a degree), self-efficacy (the belief that one will finish), and aspirations or goals (what one aims to do in life and how a high school education can facilitate that dream). After data is gathered, the participant's behavior would be closely followed for three years and documented according to these parameters.

1. The participants' attempts made at going back to school or looking into other options

of education.

2. Actual number enrolling in school.

3. Length of time sustained in school or completion date.

4. Amount of time devoted to school (class attendance, homework).

Comparisons would be made between the two groups and these variables. If my hypothesis is correct, the next step would be to conduct studies on ways to change ones belief system about their relationship with education.

Attitudes towards education are formed in several ways. Teachers have long instituted instrumental conditioning by praising and recognizing students for their strengths and accomplishments. Tangible rewards and verbal praise are consistently given at the elementary level in hopes that this will gradually strengthen an internal locus of control (Friedman & Schistack, 2006).

Observational learning does occur between teacher and student and there are some students who are affected immensely by certain teachers or administrators, but as a whole, observational learning's core is between parent and child. Thus, I believe the family plays a large part in educational motivation. Studies have shown that when one or more parents have a post high school degree, chances are that the child will also. (Gonida & Urden, 2007).

Classical conditioning can produce multi-faceted results in education. This process contends that "when the first stimulus occurs the other will follow" (Barron, Byrne, & Branscombe, 2006). Does stimulation of the brain (school and all that it entails) create a desire for knowledge, or could