Rewards Decrease Motivation?!

I came across a study from Stanford University that made me pause and rethink something we often take for granted.

The study looks at a simple question: do rewards actually motivate behavior?

Not in theory, but in real schools, with over 15,000 students. The focus was on attendance — something we would expect rewards to improve.

The results were not what anyone expected.

1. When rewards were announced in advance, they did not improve behavior.

2. When rewards were given as a surprise, attendance actually decreased afterward.

3. And when the rewards were removed, the effect became even more negative.

In other words — rewards didn’t just fail to help. In some cases, they made things worse.

The explanation is subtle, but powerful.

Rewards don’t just “add motivation.” They change what the behavior means. When we announce a reward, we unintentionally send a message:

“This is not something that is normally expected.”

And when a student receives a reward afterward, another message appears:

“I’ve already done enough.”

The focus shifts.

The behavior is no longer driven by meaning, but by outcome. This is not just a research finding. It is something we see and do in schools every day. We just don’t call them “rewards.” We call them grades.

Grades are not neutral. They are the most common reward and punishment system in education. A high grade signals success. A low grade signals failure.

And slowly, almost invisibly, the question changes.

Students stop asking:

“Did I understand this?”

And start asking:

“What grade will I get?”

At that point, something fundamental has already shifted.

Learning is no longer about understanding.It becomes about performance.

This is especially visible in highly academic environments.

Students who start with curiosity, interest, and genuine engagement gradually begin to calculate everything they do.

How many points is this worth? Is it worth the effort? Will this be assessed?

And something important begins to disappear.

Not their ability. Not their discipline. Their relationship with learning.

This is the part that should concern us the most. Because these are often the students who succeed. They achieve. They perform. They meet expectations. But they no longer experience the same sense of curiosity, exploration, and intellectual satisfaction. And that loss is quiet. But significant.

And then we add another layer.

Certificates.

Participation awards. Recognition for involvement. Rewards for simply showing up.

At first glance, they seem positive. Encouraging. Inclusive.

But they carry a subtle message:

“What matters is that you receive something.”

Even when there is no clear achievement. Even when effort has not led to growth.

Over time, the pattern becomes consistent.

Do something → get something.

And when that becomes the dominant structure, learning changes.

It stops being a process of thinking, questioning, and improving.

It becomes a transaction.

The issue is not that rewards should never exist. The issue is when they become the reason for action. Because when the reason becomes external, motivation becomes dependent. So the real question is not:

Should we assess?

But:

• What exactly are we reinforcing?

• And why are students learning in the first place?

If the answer is external — grades, rewards, recognition —then motivation will always be fragile.

Because it depends on something outside the learner. But if we want students who think, explore, persist, and create,we need to be much more careful with what we replace that inner drive with.

Because when learning becomes a transaction, we put a price on motivation.

Written by Radostina Dancheva

Curriculum developer, teacher trainer and founder of Idea Box.

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