The Importance of Giving Reward to Encourage Student Achievement

In the launch of his book Should It aired in one of the private television, President Yudhoyono expressed concern that the Indonesian people are stingy to give awards. This statement seems he has a point.
In an event report card distribution, interesting discussions took place between a guardian class with one of the parents. He expressed his happiness at the sight of his son's enthusiasm for learning has increased since his son was awarded a plaque as the winner of the highest values in daily tests for teaching science. In the discussion, he proposed that each teacher gives charter or awards of any kind to motivate all students to be even harder to learn. The proposal of parents is very interesting to look at as a form of parental care toward improving quality of learning to be implemented in classroom teaching.

The proposal thus may be a simple suggestion, because in passing a physical piece of paper does not mean anything. Even giving praise or rewards are often forgotten. However, if the paper contained an expression of pride and appreciation on the achievements of teachers by students and validated by the school, then a piece of paper will change its value in the eyes of students who received awards. The award may also be provided with notebooks, pencils, pens, and other reading books neatly wrapped. In this way students will be motivated to learn. Happiness was so upset to hear his name announced as the best student and received the award in front of his friends to another. And will possibly encourage other students to compete in learning.

It is normal for every human being has a desire to respect others. Abraham Maslow in his book Motivation and Personality (1954) classifies the need for recognition (esteem needs) as a psychological need that must be met. Meeting the need for the award will lead to the emergence of self-confidence. Someone who has the confidence that enough will be able to show his best and more productive.

In the world of education, the application of Maslow's theory is realized with the reward system (rewards) and punishment (punishment). Reward given to students who can demonstrate good performance in learning, while the punishment given to students who do not obey the rules. Both should be given proper and balanced. That is, when teachers find that there are students who violate the rules, then teachers need to provide sanctions for those students realize the mistake he had done and not repeat the same mistakes. However, if there are students who managed to do a good job, then the teachers do not hesitate to give praise in the form of verbal or written. Application of penalty (punishment) must be precise and very careful, because the form of punishment, both physical and through the words most likely received negatively by the students even though they know that his actions were wrong.
Awarded when doing a commendable action is the right of students. Therefore, do not have to worry praise will make the students become lazy or spoiled. Precisely proportioned with honors, students gain a more strengthening and energy to improve themselves. By doing so, indirectly increase will make teachers' authority in the eyes of students.

Giving praise is a form of extrinsic motivation that affect student learning. Motivation is believed to have a strategic role in one's learning activities. No one who learns without motivation. No motivation means no learning. Students who have the motivation to learn is always sure to complete any work performed. Each test given by the teachers are not faced with the restless anxiety, but faced with calm and confidence.

The moment when the teacher assess the tasks can be an opportunity for teachers to provide feedback in the form of comments to the student building. It is expected that students can improve and continue to improve its performance in learning. This activity can also be a vehicle to facilitate communication between teachers and all students who have been the factor of learning problems that occur in large classes (classes with student numbers more than 30 people). By giving corrections or comments to the task, students learn how teachers pay attention in class so that there arose a sense of fun learning with the teacher. If teachers manage to stimulate the emergence of self-motivation in students, then teachers will indirectly increase the interest of student learning against the lesson diampunya. Thus, students will be happy to learn that lesson. In the end the reward and punishment are expected to shape the personality of students who excel both intellectually and emotionally.