Ditch the reward, nurture the interest

The Straits Times noted that cultivating students’ interest would be more beneficial in nurturing their self-motivation, and featured two parents, Jessie Tan and Elvin Foong, on how they supported and motivated their children during the PSLE period through their favourite activities, such as table tennis and family game time. It was noted that while parents could offer reward for good academic performance, experts had refuted that this could do more harm than good. The report also featured Professor John Wang, founder of the Motivation in Educational Research Lab at NIE, who highlighted that it was more important for parents to build intrinsic motivation in their children by ensuring that their three psychological needs (competence, autonomy and relatedness) are met, and to create an environment that nurtures enjoyment in learning the subject for their children.

Source: The Straits Times © SPH Media Limited. Permission required for reproduction.