ST. MICHAEL SCHOOL OF CANUMAY, INC.

#10 B. San Jose St., Corner S. Donesa St., Canumay West, Valenzuela City

SUPPORTIVE RECOGNITION: The Lived Experience of Students about the

Effects of Positive Reinforcement on Their Motivation

A Research Proposal

Presented to the Senior High School Department of St. Michael School of Canumay

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the subject Practical Research 1

By:

Alapar, Christian J.

Casidsid, Angelo Rey E.

Dela Cruz, Don Andrei V.

Lagudas, Tara Lei S.

Pulmones, John Michael T.

Ms. Bryce Alexis G. Layugan

Research Adviser

March 2024
ST. MICHAEL SCHOOL OF CANUMAY, INC.
#10 B. San Jose St., Corner S. Donesa St., Canumay West, Valenzuela City

CHAPTER 1

THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

The background details and information about this study are further disputed in this

chapter to provide facts and evidence that can discuss the performance of students to

rewards in terms of their motivation in the classroom.

BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Ever since students have started studying, they are often assigned to perform

physically and orally in front of the class. Not only to give an answer, but also to show how

motivated a student can be. Most of them experience being nervous and anxious when they

are about to perform in class, even when they are well-prepared. One of the reasons why

most students become demotivated in front of the class or in an audience is that they believe

they are not recognized enough to accomplish something and feel like they are going to be

judged by their actions. School anxiety can cause students of all ages to feel overwhelmed

at the thought of stepping foot on campus (Watson, 2022). It’s a setting filled with

expectations to succeed, large groups of people, opportunities for bullying, and more.

According to Hamm (2018), in education, positive reinforcement is a type of behavior

management that focuses on rewarding what students do well. It differs from positive
ST. MICHAEL SCHOOL OF CANUMAY, INC.
#10 B. San Jose St., Corner S. Donesa St., Canumay West, Valenzuela City

punishment in that it focuses less on reprimanding students for misbehavior and more on

rewarding good behavior and accomplishments. For example, if one student isn’t putting

away their marker bin like the teacher asked, the adult might offer verbal praise to another

student who is doing it correctly. This will reinforce the behavior you want to see, and it

will motivate other students to strive for good behavior. The teachers assign students to oral

and physical activities to motivate them through positive reinforcement little by little.

Methods to effectively engage students in positive ways and promote active learning can

vary. However, positive reinforcement is one of the strategies to enhance engagement. If a

student is rewarded for doing an excellent job, the chances of him or her continuing

engaging behavior may increase (Hawes, 2018). Supported by Cherry (2023), in operant

conditioning, positive reinforcement is a behavioral psychology concept that can be used

to teach and strengthen behaviors. There are 4 categories in operant conditioning; Positive

reinforcement is the addition of a positive outcome to strengthen behavior. Negative

reinforcement is the removal of a negative outcome to strengthen a behavior. Positive

punishment involves taking away a desired stimulus to weaken a behavior. Negative

punishment involves applying an undesirable stimulus to weaken a behavior. By stimulus,

it meant something or someone that causes a response. As claimed by Nickerson (2024),

this desirable stimulus is intended to reinforce the behavior, making it more likely that the

behavior will occur in the future. This could be used to teach new behaviors or strengthen

existing ones.

On the report of Ismail (2023), classroom challenges faced by teachers may vary.

However, the most common teaching issues may include a lack of student involvement in

the classroom, disruptive behavior, and ineffective classroom management that affect

students’ academic performance. This study aimed to determine whether using positive

reinforcement can enhance student engagement in the classroom, behavior management

strategies, and social and emotional learning development. The relevance of this study

concerns students who lack motivation at school and may not have experienced academic

success. With the assistance of the researchers collected documented observations and

studies, it will help validate this study furthermore. From the accumulation of data for this

study, it was found that the use of external reinforcers such as a teacher giving praise or

recognition, or tangible rewards is necessary to help students on the path to consistent

motivation. To give more clarity in this research, the target respondents in this study were

among the faculty members of St. Michael School of Canumay. It was found that there was

another reinforcement that affects a student’s motivation, therefore the researchers will

only put focus on the effects of positive reinforcement on a student’s motivation to further

emphasize the main study. The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of positive

reinforcement on a student’s motivation in the classroom. It may help the educators to

understand how positive reinforcement provides a desired behavior. Therefore, the

educators could use it in their teaching instructions to improve the students’ learning

process.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

This study aims to determine the effectiveness of rewards given to students for motivation.

Specifically, it seeks to answer the following questions in terms of the following:

1. How does positive reinforcement affect a student’s motivation?

2. What is the effective approach in rewarding a student?

3. What is the correlation of motivation to a student’s performance in class?

4. How frequent must it be to reward a student?

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The significance of this study is discussed below to know the behavior of each

student who possesses motivation and how rewards in class help them keep motivated.

Having to boost their motivation through positive reinforcement can help the students in

the future lead to success.

Students. This study will give an advantage to the students in a way that they will

be encouraged to perform in class knowing if it has something to do with their personal

development. The students’ grades are most likely to improve when they are motivated and

rewarded well.

Guardians. This study will benefit the parents by knowing the importance of

positive reinforcement and how the student needs to possess motivation and to help them

understand the behavior of the student.

Teachers. Educators can be informed about how positive reinforcement affects

their students to be motivated.

Future Researchers. Will gain in a way that they can have furthermore findings

regarding motivation and effectiveness of positive reinforcement to students. The future

researchers who will research regarding the positive reinforcement on students, their

performance inside the classroom, and the state of their motivation must know that this
ST. MICHAEL SCHOOL OF CANUMAY, INC.
#10 B. San Jose St., Corner S. Donesa St., Canumay West, Valenzuela City

study needs a lot of comprehension, observations in-depth interviews, and different

perspective of the subjects.