School discipline: Why positive reinforcement will shape modern education

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, schools have been facing increasing behavioural challenges. Problems such as chronic absenteeism, classroom disruption, and digital distractions are prompting teachers and school leaders to re-evaluate their discipline strategies.

Some schools have adopted measures like suspension and expulsion, but research shows us that this approach doesn’t help future behaviour and can actually harm academic outcomes.

Instead, positive reinforcement can foster better conduct and well-being among students. This approach is when you reward a “good” action from a student so they feel motivated to repeat it. It’s about creating a positive cycle.

Here’s why positive reinforcement is productive, and how to do it.

Issues with strict school discipline

Detention, verbal reprimand, suspension, and expulsion might seem like a reasonable response to bad behaviour in schools, but a lot of evidence shows they don’t solve the problem––that they can even make behaviour worse.

Harsh discipline can damage student-teacher relationships too, leading to feelings of isolation in students as they feel they don’t have the support they need to improve. Not to mention, students’ mental health can deteriorate, leading to lower motivation and poorer academic results.

This type of discipline also disproportionately affects vulnerable students, as research found that students from minority backgrounds are more likely to be suspended or expelled from school. Another report from the UK showed that students suspended 10 times are three times more likely to be identified with special education needs or disabilities than students suspended once. Avoiding these stricter types of measures therefore helps you construct a more equitable school system.

Elsewhere, studies reveal that disciplinary steps like expulsion measures don’t address the root cause of difficult student behaviour. Students who act out at school are often facing mental or physical health issues, a lack of resources or problems in their home or school environment. When a child is removed from school or reprimanded, these issues are not addressed and can even be exacerbated by these forms of discipline.

The power of positive reinforcement

Positive reinforcement can be carried out through verbal praise, tangible rewards, and classroom privileges. As opposed to punishments, positive reinforcement creates a more constructive classroom environment and increases student motivation and healthy behaviours like goal setting.

Below are three key advantages of positive reinforcement.

Fosters a positive school environment

Positive reinforcement can help you nurture a culture of support and positivity in the classroom. When students’ achievements and efforts are rewarded, they are more likely to enjoy being at school and develop an optimistic outlook.

Rewarding students for positive actions also helps to build trust and respect in your teacher-student relationships. This enables you to better understand your students’ life circumstances and to address issues at the root cause of their behaviour.

Promotes long-term behavioural change

Positive reinforcement helps to inspire better behaviour in the classroom, whether focusing on school work or following instructions.

One study highlights that positive reinforcement results in higher levels of self-monitoring and time management. Another paper suggests that students focus on their tasks up to 30% more when teachers use positive reinforcement.

Students are also constantly learning from social cues. When you reward or praise one student for a certain behaviour, others will pay attention and may start mirroring the same healthy behaviour.

Supports social-emotional development

Research shows positive reinforcement strategies support behaviours in young children and help them develop social skills. When you use positive reinforcement in the classroom then, you encourage your students to develop prosocial behaviours such as empathy, cooperation, and sharing.

There’s also evidence that positive reinforcement helps students develop resilience – with one study showcasing that social-emotional learning programs that incorporate positive reinforcement can help address students’ mental health needs and support their emotional regulation.

Positive reinforcement examples

Positive reinforcement goes further than just giving students a sticker or saying “great job!” when they get a good mark. There are several simple but powerful ways to use positive reinforcement as a tool to promote good behaviour and create a class of happy and curious students.

Praise and verbal recognition

One key way to reward students for positive behaviours is through verbal praise. However, not all language is created equal when it comes to encouraging students. Rather than focusing on the achievement, put emphasis on the effort and the process the student applied.

For example, instead of “You’re so smart!”, you might want to say “I can tell you put a lot of effort into your homework”.

Rather than “You’re great at writing essays”, you could say “Your introduction really laid out your argument, and I like how you used sources to support each point”.

Praise should be specific and personal, so students feel that you really recognize their unique mode of working.

Tangible rewards

Another way you can introduce positive reinforcement is by giving out little rewards when students behave well. These could be stickers, stamps, a small piece of fun stationery or fun classroom tasks like watering plants.

The important thing is that the rewards are meaningful for students, and are given for a specific behaviour, such as regularly handing in homework, helping another student or tidying up the classroom.

It’s crucial to get the timing right. Give the reward too soon and students might expect it every time they do something, but wait too long and they may not associate what they did with the reward. You should also be consistent. If you give rewards only occasionally, students won’t feel motivated to continue the celebrated behaviour.

Classroom privileges

Classroom privileges could be giving students extra minutes doing an activity of their choice, like drawing or playing games, or letting them skip a minor piece of homework. You could let them choose their seat for the day, or use special art supplies they usually don’t have access to.

You can also use classroom privileges for class-wide rewards. Set up a points-tracking system for good behaviour, and allow students to vote on a collective reward once they reach a certain amount of points, such as extra outdoor playtime or watching a movie.

Reinforcing the future of education

Positive reinforcement should be a core component of modern education, helping students not only achieve better academic results but also become more empathetic and emotionally well-rounded humans.

By enacting positive reinforcement in your daily classes, you can influence young learners who also focus on the positive contributions of those around them – shaping a more tolerant and collaborative generation.

Further reading

Discover more ways that discipline and behaviour management are changing in schools. Read Social learning: What it is, and how to encourage students to participate and How to promote kindness in your classroom.