(The roles of rewards and punishments in early childhood education) Reward and punishment always exist in human education. Human nature is to desire for rewards and avoid punishments. These are the basic concepts in the modern theory of the behavior of living creatures. In the ordinary sense of reward and punishment are the factors that stimulate the activity. In the case of awards, it is to stimulate the announcement of a pleasant state. And punishment in the ordinary sense is an unpleasant experience due to the execution of an unwanted action. Therefore, it raises human activity to better behavior. Rewards and punishments are closely related. Deprivation of an award works like a penalty, and avoiding the penalty works like a reward.

The purpose of reward and punishment is to call for positive changes in student behavior. Stanislaw Mika defines punishment as a negative situation, which we try to avoid, because it is accompanied by an unpleasant emotional state (1). Using punishment can not completely eliminate undesirable behavior, with the punishment you can not completely eliminate unwanted behavior, just soften them for a while. Sharp penalties also lead to the occurrence of socially undesirable effects, such as consolidation and transmission patterns of aggressive behavior in human relationships and the movement of aggressive responses to others (2). Penalty in terms of Czeslaw Czapówa should play a corrective and preventive role. The purpose of punishment should be student improvement and therefore must raise his self-confidence and the possibility of compensation (3). Tadeusz Krajewski believes that the punishment as a method of education fulfills its function, if used consciously, consistently and at the same time if its union with what they have committed, so that triggers a feeling of guilt because of it, acquaints the child with its consequences, and teaches responsibility and predicts the results of their actions, and triggers the desire to change their behavior (4).

Marian Grochociński gives a few rules that the punishment will fulfill a positive role:

  • Adapting penalties to action, and linking it
  • Justice, which is proportional to the guilt
  • Consistency and unanimity educators in punishment;
  • Gradation of penalties depending on the importance of the offense;
  • Consideration of individuals, age of the child and motives of his conduct;
  • Moderation in the use of punishments
  • Various repertoire of punishments (5).

Interesting observation, from a pedagogical point of view, transmitted by S. Mika, who points out: "that the punishment properly fulfills its functions when between a punisher and punished there is an emotional bond, understanding and belief, sympathy, kindness and mutual acceptance of standards" (6).

Stanislaw Mika defines the award as a positive situation, wanted by your body, because it is accompanied by a pleasant emotional state. Therefore, the award is a positive reinforcement (7).

Marian Łobocki made the following division of positive reinforcement techniques. It stands out for:

  • Direct gratification technique (immediate)
  • The technique of concluding the contract,
  • Successive gratification technique known in the literature under the name of token strengthening (token system) and economics tokens (token economy) (8).

Immediate gratification technique is generally used in cases of serious failures in learning and student behavioral disorders. In the present technique applies following a few basic rules, known as rules of strengthening:

  • reinforcing only the desired behavior manifestations from a social and pedagogical point of view;
  • socially and pedagogically desirable behaviors require reinforcements immediately after the manifestation of the students in the event of interruption gain can be harmful;
  • during the initial reinforcement of specific behavior should be strengthened every time, as soon as it appears in the field of view of the teacher;
  • when strengthened behavior begins to appear more and more frequently and satisfactorily, it should be strengthened intermittently rather than continuously and systematically;
  • gain by rewarding material, such as books, postcards, sweets, should be combined with the strengthening of a social nature, such as the expression of praise or recognition.

Concluding contract technique has been used by Janusz Korczak and consisted of making the arrangement between teacher and student. And so it was a two-way arrangement. This means that if a pupil completes the previously agreed terms as to improve his behavior, he receives an award, for example, two candies. However, if these conditions are not met, he was obliged to give two candies to the teacher, with whom he made the arrangement.

Gradual gratification technique is often called economics token strengthening, strengthening token system. It combines the properties of both techniques discussed above. It is based on positive reinforcement of desired behavior or school achievement. Strengthens them first by scoring or symbolic things (chips), and only then in the form of material reward. For example, every time a student does their homework carefully receives one point, and as a result of 10 and 20 points accordingly reward him (9).

Punishment and reward in early childhood education plays a very important role. It allows us to reward and reinforce good behavior and eliminate the bad one. Skillful use of positive reinforcement and punishment perfectly affects the educational process of the child. Maria Przetacznikowa considers that the reward and punishment have the controlling function of children's behavior. The award informs about the success - the student does not change his behavior. Punishment, however, indicates a failure, provokes the correct actions and changes their behavior (10). The teacher should remember that each child is an individual unit and therefore the punishment and reward should be adapted to the child's mental and physical capabilities. It should be noted that the frequent use of punishments does not bring positive results. Punishment should be replaced by praise and positive reinforcement, and thus try to get positive results in the educational process.

Authoress: Authoress: MA Małgorzata Myszka Department of teaching Department of early school education University of Natural Sciences and Humanities in Siedlce, Poland Literature: ANGIELCZYK, A. 1994. Kara-metodą wychowania? In Edukacja i dialogue, vol 6/59, 1994. CLIFFORD, H. 2006. Dyscyplina i kierowanie klasą, Warszawa: PWN, 2006, 128-158 p. CZAPÓW, CZ. 1968. Rodzina a wychowanie. Warszawa: Nasza Księgarnia, 1968, 195 p. GROCHOCIŃSKI, M. Jr. 1979. Kultura pedagogiczna rodziców. In ZIEMSKA, M. (ed.) Ziemska Rodzina i dziecko. Warszawa: PWN, 1979, p. 324. KRAJEWSKI, T. 1960. Nagroda i kara w wychowaniu In Życie Szkły, vol 11, 1960, p. 25. ŁOBOCKI, M. 1992. ABC wychowania. Warszawa: WSiP, 1992, 113 p. MIKA, S. 1966. Social aspects of punishment. In Psychologia Wychowawcza, vol. 4, 1966, p. 380-38. PRZETACZNIKOWA, M., WŁODARSKI, Z. 1986, Psychologia wychowawcza. Warszawa: PWN, 1986, 53 p.

1) MIKA, S. 1966. Social aspects of punishment. In Psychologia Wychowawcza, vol. 4, 1966, p. 380. 2) MIKA, S. 1966. Social aspects of punishment. In Psychologia Wychowawcza, vol. 4, 1966, p. 380. 3) CZAPÓW, CZ. 1968. Rodzina a wychowanie. Warszawa: Nasza Księgarnia, 1968, 195 p. 4) KRAJEWSKI, T. 1960. Nagroda i kara w wychowaniu In Życie Szkły, vol 11, 1960, p. 25. 5) GROCHOCIŃSKI, M. Jr. 1979. Kultura pedagogiczna rodziców. In ZIEMSKA, M. (ed.) Ziemska Rodzina i dziecko. Warszawa: PWN, 1979, p. 324. 6) MIKA, S. 1966. Social aspects of punishment. In Psychologia Wychowawcza, vol. 4, 1966, p. 390. 7) MIKA, S. 1966. Social aspects of punishment. In Psychologia Wychowawcza, vol. 4, 1966, p. 390. 8) ŁOBOCKI, M. 1992. ABC wychowania. Warszawa: WSiP, 1992, 113 p. 9) ŁOBOCKI, M. 1992. ABC wychowania. Warszawa: WSiP, 1992, 134 - 162 p. 10) PRZETACZNIKOWA, M., WŁODARSKI, Z. 1986, Psychologia wychowawcza. Warszawa: PWN, 1986, 53 p.