POSITIVE REINFORCING AND ACADEMIC BEHAVIOR

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e-ISSN: 2582-5208 International Research Journal of Modernization in Engineering Technology and Science Volume:02/Issue:09/September-2020

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POSITIVE REINFORCING AND ACADEMIC BEHAVIOR Nifaji Sikiru*1 *1Research

Scholar, Management. Advanced Quantitative Analysis, Limkokwing University Of Creative Technology, Cyberjaya, Selangor, Malaysia.

ABSTRACT The current thesis was developed to determine if positive reinforcement can improve the academic behavior of disabled students enrolled in Learning Strategies. This saw the thesis responding to the following research questions: Can positive reinforcement improve the academic behavior of disabled students enrolled for Learning Strategies? Through an online data collection approach, the research collected data from 31 respondents, all of whom were teachers of two schools to introduce a complementary reinforcement program. To tell the difference between the respective variables, before and after the positive reinforcement, the researcher ran a t-test analysis. Following the t-test analysis, it is clear that the positive reinforcement program was effective in improving the student's academic behavior. For instance, the study reported reduced cases of missed homework assignments and improved class attendance after one month. Besides, the study confirmed an improved in timely submission of the assignment and academic follow-ups. Also, the students increased their interaction with teachers.

I.

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Introduction This section of the thesis will develop a relevant discussion about positive reinforcement and its effects on students' behavior. This section of the thesis will develop a research problem with this kind of analysis, thus justifying the need for engaging in the current research. This will be followed by a statement of the objective and conclude by research questions. 1.2 Background Talking of positive reinforcement, Storey and Miner's (2017) studies refer to anything that occurs following a behavior meant to enhance the probability that a given behavior will come into play. Recent scholarly works have established that most teachers shy away from positive reinforcement, with the belief that it is not worthy of rewarding a student to meet the expectation. That is, they do not see the relevance of rewarding students for conformity: doing what is expected of them. However, it is worth noting that this is an unfortunate attitude since one-way teachers can improve students' academic achievements and other co-curricular activities. According to Perle (2018), positive enforcement naturally takes place throughout the various stages of life. A good example is a case where motorists adhere to the set traffic laws and fail to get a ticket. Their reward comes in the form of not having to go through the driving test upon their license expiry. Besides, individuals report to work daily. They have to show up within the stipulated time frame and undertake their roles. By the end of the month, they receive a reward through the paycheck. There is also the case where a kind individual is rewarded by receiving the kindness in return. All these rewards demonstrate positive reinforcements that trigger positive behavior within those who experience them. 1.2.1 Positive Enforcement in the Classroom According to Núñez, Suárez, Rosário, Vallejo, Cerezo, and Valle (2015), the use of positive enforcement in the Classroom plays a crucial role in directing as well as changing student academic behavior. Despite this, individuals define positive enforcement techniques as a threat to one’s freedom, hence not enjoying their autonomy as a human being. The community, as well as the society in general, anticipates that its members should receive intrinsic motivation towards behaving accordingly. The underlying argument is that by the end of the day, a member's positive behavior benefits the community as a whole. According to Niswaty, Rusbiati, Jamaluddin, and Salam (2017), there are instances where individuals view reinforcement as being externally applied to them, thus defining it to be coercive. What about the case of children with disabilities? Scholars have proven that children with disabilities are subjected to www.irjmets.com

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