Extrinsic Rewards
Last updated: 8/8/26
By: Amy Schlueter
“The most controversial thing in my intervention room isn’t my data. It’s a bowl of Jolly Ranchers.”
There are certain topics educators are supposed to avoid. Politics. Religion. Who reheated fish in the staff lounge. But I’d like to nominate one more.
Extrinsic rewards.
Mention a Jolly Rancher in a room full of teachers and you’ll discover opinions you didn’t even know people had. Some educators swear by them. Others swear at them. I’ve heard it all.
“You’re bribing kids.”
“They’ll only work for candy.”
“You’re killing intrinsic motivation.”
“The second the rewards stop, so does the effort.”
“I’m not about to give candy out- they’re too messy.”
Sound familiar? I’ve even sat through professional development sessions where rewards were described as everything from a harmless classroom management strategy to educational malpractice. Depending on who was presenting, a Jolly Rancher was either an effective teaching tool or the beginning of society’s collapse.
It’s a surprisingly passionate debate. And here’s the thing…
Like most controversial topics in education, the truth is more complicated than either side wants to admit.
Before We Dive In…
I want to make something clear from the very beginning. This isn’t a rant arguing that every classroom must hand out candy starting today. It’s also not dismissing decades of motivation research that oppose extrinsic rewards. In fact, many of the concerns raised by critics of extrinsic rewards are thoughtful, well-researched, and absolutely worth considering. But I also think something important gets lost in these conversations. Most discussions about motivation assume we’re talking about students who already believe they can succeed. But we work with a different group. Reading specialists work with children who have spent years believing they can’t.
And those are two very different starting points.
What the Critics Say
I want to be fair and give the other side its day in the sun. One of the strongest voices against rewards is educational author Alfie Kohn, whose book, Punished by Rewards, argues that stickers, prizes, grades, praise, bonuses—even gold stars—are simply the “positive” side of control. According to Kohn, rewards may increase short-term compliance, but they often undermine intrinsic motivation, creativity, and genuine engagement over time. I’ve heard parents complain about rec programs that give every kid a trophy. They argue that the rewards become meaningless.
I gotta say, those are compelling arguments. And they’re not alone. Researchers Edward Deci and Richard Ryan, creators of Self-Determination Theory, found that people are most internally motivated when three psychological needs are supported:
- Competence
- Autonomy
- Relatedness
Their work suggests that extrinsic rewards can sometimes reduce intrinsic motivation—particularly when they’re experienced as controlling or when they’re used for activities people already enjoy. If a child already loves reading, introducing extrinsic rewards might shift their thinking from: “I read because I enjoy it.” to “I read because I get something.” Naturally, that’s a legitimate concern.
Another frequently discussed concept is the overjustification effect, where external rewards can reduce intrinsic interest under certain conditions. One of the most famous studies was by Mark Lepper, David Greene, and Richard Nisbett in 1973. They observed preschool children who already loved drawing. The children were divided into groups: One group was promised a reward before drawing. One group received an unexpected reward afterward. One group received no reward. Later, when no rewards were offered, the children who had expected a reward spent less time drawing than the two other groups. That study became enormously influential.
Again…That’s worth paying attention to. They were asking an important question: How do we help people become genuinely motivated rather than simply compliant? That’s a question every teacher should wrestle with. But, here again, I notice that reading specialists are at a different starting block.
Where I Think the Conversation Goes Off the Rails
Here’s where I respectfully part ways in favor of rewards. Why? Because much of the research talks about working with already motivated students. Reading specialists work with discouraged students. Those are not the same population. And that distinction changes everything.
When educational debates happen online—or even in professional development—the conversation often centers around what should motivate children. Curiosity. Love of learning. The joy of reading.
Wonderful. I want all of those things, too. But here’s who’s sitting across from me every day. Students who have failed spelling tests for years. Students who hide or even cry when it’s time to read aloud. Students who have convinced themselves they’re “dumb.” Students who have worked incredibly hard only to watch classmates race ahead anyway. Those students aren’t deciding between intrinsic or extrinsic motivation. They’re deciding between trying…or giving up.
That’s an entirely different conversation.
Meet Dalton
A few years ago, I worked with a fifth grader I’ll call Dalton. Dalton wasn’t lazy. He wasn’t defiant. Or unmotivated. Dalton was defeated. By the time he reached me, years of reading and attendance gaps had convinced him that effort didn’t matter anymore. Why try? Nothing ever changed. So we assessed him, and something interesting emerged. His accuracy was great. His fluency wasn’t. He could decode words accurately, but every sentence required lots of mental effort. Reading felt like running a marathon in hiking boots.
Our intervention wasn’t about “working harder.” It was about building automaticity. Little by little, he began experiencing success. And something changed. He smiled more. He volunteered answers. He began to make an effort. His confidence grew alongside his fluency. Did he appreciate the occasional Jolly Rancher? Heck yes. In fact, it started off being a key component to get him to try a little. He needed repeated experiences attached to an extrinsic reward that convinced him his effort finally mattered. And here’s the real test for me- Dalton certainly isn’t the first one for whom this was necessary. In my setting, nearly every one of my students is like Dalton.
That’s a huge difference.
What the Research Actually Says
Here’s where things get fascinating. Many educators have heard some version of this statement:
“Research proves extrinsic rewards destroy intrinsic motivation.”
The reality is…
The research on extrinsic rewards is one of the most debated topics in educational psychology. While some studies have found that certain types of rewards can reduce intrinsic motivation under specific conditions, other researchers argue those findings have often been overgeneralized to classrooms. The growing consensus isn’t that rewards are always good or always bad—it’s that context matters.
A comprehensive review published through the University of Southern California argues that decades of research have often been interpreted more broadly than the evidence supports. The authors suggest the relationship between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation isn’t an either/or proposition.
Instead, context matters. The type of reward matters. How it’s delivered matters. Whether it feels controlling matters. Whether the task is already enjoyable matters. Whether the reward communicates competence matters. That’s a lot more complicated than simply saying, “Rewards are good” or “Rewards are bad.”
In fact, some researchers argue that competence-based rewards—those tied to genuine accomplishment or effort rather than mere participation—may actually strengthen motivation because they reinforce a student’s growing sense of capability.
That resonated with me immediately. Because that’s exactly what I see in my intervention room every day.
Hang in there for the continuation next week….
In the meantime check out the Nerd Research Corner and Amy’s Bookshelf if you’re interested in doing some reading on your own.
Research Nerd Corner 🤓
If you’d like to explore both sides of this debate, here are a few excellent resources.
A thoughtful critique of rewards
- Alfie Kohn. Punished by Rewards. A provocative argument that external rewards can undermine intrinsic motivation and create dependence.
Why the conversation is more nuanced
- Cameron, Banko, & Pierce (2001). Pervasive Negative Effects of Rewards on Intrinsic Motivation: The Myth Continues. This paper argues that many broad claims about rewards have overstated the evidence and that context, task type, and how rewards are delivered matter greatly.
- Pros and Cons of Extrinsic Motivation (ConnectUS Foundation). A balanced overview that summarizes common arguments on both sides in accessible language.
- The Relationship Between Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation (Procedia – Social and Behavioral Sciences). A useful overview explaining that intrinsic and extrinsic motivation often interact rather than operate as complete opposites.
Amy’s Bookshelf 📚
One of the books that most influenced my thinking wasn’t actually about reading. It was Albert Bandura’s Self-Efficacy: The Exercise of Control. Bandura reminds us that confidence doesn’t magically appear before success. Success creates confidence. That idea has transformed the way I approach teaching- especially my struggling readers.
Think about it- if students have spent years collecting evidence that they’re “bad at reading,” my job isn’t simply to improve their decoding skills, fluency or comprehension.. The real job is to help them collect new evidence. Evidence that says, “Hey, I’m getting better at this!.”
Check out this post to hear more about Self-Efficacy and Dalton’s story.