EFFECTS OF THE USE OF REWARD AND PUNISHMENT ON THE ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF PRIMARY SCHOOL PUPILS IN SOME SELECTED PRIMARY SCHOOL IN YEWA NORTH LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF OGUN STATE

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

The fundamental reason for the use of negative reinforcement that people use as reward and academic performance have positive effect for pupils and students learning process. Reward and punishment are often intangible, symbolic in nature taking the form of praise, approval or disappointment are course, commonly used in primary schools as motivational means.

Recently, there has been a lot of concern in our educational system, regarding the use of reward and punishment means in enforcing good behaviour of pupils in primary schools education, parents and teachers have expressed their view in newspaper, journals and other media about this issue such as current issue of many articles in some periodicals contents. The period of primary school, age is the traditional period of life which the child experience many developmental changes.

However, it believed that a period of change is likely to be accompanied by many difficulties. This is period of challenge to teachers and all those involved in the education of young people. The teacher is faced with the task of enforcing good behaviour of pupils in the primary school through the use of reward and punishment.

From the writers’ previous experience, it was found that punishment is very much used in our primary schools in Yewa North Local Government Area of Ogun State. One is faced to consider if punishment has been producing the intended result of correlation. A number of human practice and produce have been sanctioned because they supposedly to satisfactory outcomes. The teachers attach great value to attributes like obedience and willingness to accept the judgement of authorities.

Reward has been associated with improvement in pre-social behaviours of pupils who receive them the wrong behaviours of pupils are becoming rampant these days. It’s the related to frequency of the use of punishment and reward by the teacher in enforcing good behaviours of pupils in the school. This study is therefore undertaken to investigate on how frequency punishment and reward are used in our primary schools and how frequently these problems emerge among pupils in Yewa North Local Government Area of Ogun State. One is faced to consider of punishment has been producing the intended result of correlation. A number of human practice and procedure have been sanctioned because they supposedly to satisfactory outcomes. The teachers attach great value to attributes like obedience and willingness to accept the judgement of authorities.                     

Reward has been associated with improvement in pre-social behaviours of pupils who receive them the wrong behaviours of pupils are becoming rampant these days. It’s the related to frequency of the use of punishment and reward by the teacher in enforcing good behaviours of pupils in the school. This study is therefore undertaken to investigate on how frequency punishment and reward are used in our primary schools and how frequently these problems emerge among pupils in Yewa North Local Government Area of Ogun State.

Statement of the Problem

The child at birth is born with certain biological inheritance. Biological heredity is not enough to enable him develop, harmoniously in social cultural environment to equip him with necessary skills and information, concepts and attitudes, society therefore has created a separate agency to the school, where he can develop all the qualities and abilities required for successful, social adjustment. If follows therefore, the school should be properly organized in order to put form better these onerous tasks. The fact s that the problem in our schools (Ohunche 1977) the use of reward and punishment by the teachers in the school could have alleviated the problems of indiscipline and other disruptive behaviour in our primary schools.

These situations readily bring some questions to mind:

(1)          How frequently are rewards and punishment used by teachers in the schools?

(2)          Primary school pupils in Ogun State?

Research Questions

The research questions to be used are:

(1)          How frequently is reward and punishment used by teachers?

(2)          Are there any difference in the opinion of teachers and pupils on the use of reward and punishment?

(3)          What do you think are the effects of rewards and punishment?

(4)          Do you think the reward and punishment has brought about any changes?

Purposes of the Study

This study aims to asses how frequently punishment and rewards used by teachers in enforcing good behaviour by pupils in Yewa North Local Government Area of Ogun State. In persuasive of this, the researcher will determine the relationship between the frequently with these measure are used.

Identified the negative behaviour of pupils seek for the differences between teachers and pupils. Opinion regarding the incidence of problem behaviour in school, determine whether these problem behaviour will be eradicated by reward and punishment.

Significance of the Study 

It is the researcher belief that finding in this study will go a long way to determine the significant to the school, policy makers, parents and enforcement. It made an important suggestion in teaching learning process. Hence, the study provided some recommendation to educators and all those who are involved in the education of young people on the use of punishment and reward. It enforces good behaviour of pupils in primary schools. It affords the school to know when to introduce or apply reward and punishment. It gives the policy makers sense of direction in setting up the educational goals and objective in schools for efficient primary education. The parents like the teacher having known those areas that need further attention order to achieve great success in the forms of rewards and punishment used in this school with particular reference to the primary schools.

Scope of the Study

This study focuses on the effects of use of reward and punishment on the academic performance of pupils in Yewa North Local Government. This study is geographically limited to the Yewa North Local Government Area of Ogun State. It is also limited to those teachers and pupils in the five selected primary pupils in the selected primary schools.

It is hoped that the response of these chosen subject from the selected schools of the Yewa North Local Government Area of Ogun State will reveal the effect of the use of reward and punishment on the academic performance of pupils in primary schools.

Operational Definition of Terms 

Punishment: The act of causing some one to suffer for his/her misdeed, fault or crime.

Rewards: Gains that come as a result of doing something well or right.

Problem Behaviour: The disruptive behaviour of adolescents such truancy, stealing, lying, lateness, willful dame to school properties.