THE ROLE OF RE-ENFORCEMENT ON THE PERFORMANCE OF STUDENTS

Background to the study: In the field of behavioral psychology, reinforcement refers to the application of a consequence that, once a certain conduct is followed by a certain antecedent stimulus, will serve to enhance the organism's future behavior. In operant conditioning, the phrase "reinforcement" refers to anything that makes it more likely that a reaction will take place. This may be anything from praise to food rewards. It is generally agreed that B.F. Skinner, a psychologist, is the founder of this idea. Note that the influence that anything has on behavior is how reinforcement is defined; reinforcement is defined as something that enhances or intensifies a response. One kind of reinforcement would be to provide praise (the reinforcer) right after a kid puts away her toys. This would be an example of positive reinforcement (the response). Praise is a powerful tool that may be used to teach children desirable behaviors and increase the likelihood that they will continue to demonstrate such behaviors in the future.

Anything that makes a behavior stronger or more prevalent may be considered a kind of reinforcement. This might include certain material prizes, events, and circumstances. Praise, getting out of unwelcome work, getting out of token prizes, sweets, additional playtime, and entertaining activities are some examples of the forms of reinforcement that might be used in a school context.

One of the most important and useful techniques for behavior control in the classroom is reinforcement. The use of innovative strategies like positive reinforcement, which allow instructors to enhance the general behavior of their pupils, is one such strategy. A straightforward explanation of positive reinforcement is "timely encouragement," which is both kind and efficient at the same time. This is the essence of positive reinforcement.

A student's academic performance may be significantly improved or significantly hindered by the words, actions, and inactions of a teacher. The students' performances can only improve with the help of positive reinforcement. As a secondary school teacher, the researcher had firsthand contact with a student who vehemently complained about her mathematics instructor calling her names like "escort, olodo." The researcher also had the opportunity to hear the girl's side of the story. This child's overall performance suffered as a result of the occurrence, and it was impacted in most of her classes, including the class that one of the researchers was teaching (English). This student was one of the finest students in the researcher's subject; yet, her poor performance compelled the researcher to engage her in a conversation, which led to the student revealing the interaction that she had with her mathematics instructor. During a staff meeting, the researcher, who was also a counselor and a teacher, presented a lecture to the instructors on the topic of "Positive Reinforcement for Academic Enhancement." With the approval of the principle of the school, the researcher engaged the mathematics teacher in this endeavor. The institution where the researcher is teaching has just made "Positive Reinforcement" a buzzword. The academic achievement of this pupil was tracked, and at that point, a noticeable and significant uptick in performance was seen. This demonstrates the power that can be wielded by a teacher's words, whether they are good or negative.

The importance of students achieving high levels of academic success in their classrooms cannot be overstated for those who see education as a tool for the improvement and change of society. The majority of educators are only focused in applying tried-and-true techniques of instruction, rather than taking into account the ways in which positive reinforcement may have a beneficial influence on students' academic progress.

According to Akinade (2012), positive reinforcement is a kind of behavioral modification that includes the use of stimuli that a person finds pleasurable or desirable in order to modify undesirable behaviors. To put it another way, positive reinforcement is the kind of encouragement that is given in response to positive behavior. For example, a student completes an assignment in a timely manner and provides some further material that she or he has obtained about the subject matter. The instructor wants to express her gratitude for the student's efforts, so she invites the other pupils to applaud for her. The action taken by the instructor serves as an incentive for the pupil to continue making the same effort once again. As its name suggests, positive reinforcement is a straightforward method that requires little effort on the part of the instructor to instill a feeling of responsibility and order in the students. It does not include any type of force that would put pressure on a pupil to behave properly, thus it cannot be considered a kind of coercion. Positive reinforcement can be given in the form of verbal comments such as praises, commendations, compliments, approval, encouragement, and affirmation (e.g., good job, well done, nice work), tangible rewards such as cash gift, pen, cake, sweets, erasers, etc., or non-verbal rewards such as being clapped on, given a pat on the back, or smiled at, etc., in order to encourage the repetition of such behavior. According to the definition provided by the researcher, positive reinforcement is any action that encourages a learner to engage in more of the behaviors that will lead to a more desirable outcome.

According to Iwundu (2009), academic accomplishment is the degree of success or level of achievement that is obtained upon completion of an academic endeavor. According to Lin and Buseri (2017), academic accomplishment is understood to be the result of education, namely the degree to which a student, teacher, or institution has accomplished his or her educational objectives. Exams and other forms of ongoing evaluation are the most popular ways of measuring academic success; nevertheless, there isn't widespread consensus over the optimal method for doing so or regarding which aspects are the most significant.

Positive reinforcement has been shown in a number of studies to have a significant impact on the academic success of students and may lead to an improvement in their grade point average. An experimental study was carried out by Amadi and Onyeike (2015) in Abia State on the effectiveness of token economy and verbal rewards on students' academic achievement in the Igbo language in the Aba North Local Government Area of Abia State. The study was carried out with a group of 120 JS1 students in Abia State. Although verbal rewards, which are more intangible forms of positive reinforcement, significantly improved students' academic performance in comparison to the control group, the findings of the study revealed that token economies, which are tangible forms of positive reinforcement, significantly enhanced students' academic performance more so than verbal rewards, which are more intangible forms of positive reinforcement. In a separate research, Nnodum, Agbaenyi, and Ugwuegbulam (2014) explored the effectiveness of positive reinforcement (PR) and self-control (SC) in the management of aggressive behavior in students. In the Owerri North Local Government Area of the state of Imo, employing a quasi-experimental design, thirty students were chosen at random by a purposive selection process. The study was carried out with three experimental groups, including two treatment groups and one control group. Both at the post-test and the follow-up periods, the data showed that positive reinforcement was more successful than self-control (SC) in lowering aggressiveness among the students. This was the case for both periods. Ukoha (2002) successfully used the application of positive reinforcement to enhance the academic performance of pupils in mathematics. despite the fact that neither the number of individuals nor the sort of research methodology used nor the topic matter of the study were specified. The findings demonstrated that students' mathematical performance may be improved via the use of positive reinforcement. In the same line, Onunkwo and Unachukwu (2003, 2005) also employed verbal incentives to improve secondary school students' cognitive success in biology and to promote students' commitment to completing their take-home assignments. Both of these goals were accomplished via the use of verbal rewards. Verbal incentives, also known as positive reinforcement, were shown to boost students' cognitive success and commitment to completing their take-home assignments, according to the research's findings. Positive reinforcement was also utilized by Chima and Nnodum (2006) in a comparable study to regulate late arriving behavior among secondary school pupils. This study was conducted in Nigeria. An examination of the impact that token economy reinforcement has on the academic performance of pupils was carried out by Ingsol in Amadi et al (2015). Based on the findings, it seemed as if a token economy would be challenging to establish at home. However, this will be incredibly beneficial in a classroom environment. Because there are distinct patterns in place throughout the day, the use of these strategies in educational contexts is suitable. Consistent adult supervision is provided, and reinforcers like as free time and recess may be subjected to stringent monitoring and management. Positive verbal reward enhanced athletes' intrinsic motivation and emotions of competence, regardless of the quantity of positive verbal feedback that was delivered, according to the findings of an experiment conducted by Deci and Ryan, which were published in Amadi et al. (2015). To examine the efficacy of token economy as a method for managing children's behavior, Reitman (2001) carried out an experiment using the methodology on children diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD). The findings indicate that it was helpful in reducing the number of behavioral issues that occurred while doing homework, which led to a reduction in the amount of stress experienced.

1.2 Statement of the problem

Recent years have seen a decline in students' academic achievement across the board at all levels of education, although this decline has been most pronounced among students attending public secondary schools at the secondary school level. The researcher made the observation that many kids graduate from secondary school without being able to read effectively and demonstrate proficiency in other pertinent topics despite having completed their schooling. In light of the evidence presented in scholarly publications, books, and pieces of study, the usefulness of reinforcement cannot be overstated. Despite this, there are a great number of educators who are having trouble putting the strategy into practice. This is due to the fact that many instructors lack an understanding of how the process of reinforcement works. The question that has to be answered right now is whether or not reinforcement, which has been shown to be effective for kids in other regions of the nation and the globe, can enhance the academic performance of secondary school students in Ondo State. Because of the words, acts, and inactions of instructors, students have difficulties with the learning process; nevertheless, it is unknown if this may be a panacea for improving academic success among students in the state of Ondo in Nigeria. In light of the aforementioned, the researchers looked at the effect that Reinforcement had on the Academic Achievement of Senior Secondary School Students in the Idanre Local Government Area of Ondo State.

1.3 Purpose Of The Study

The main purpose of this study is to investigate  impact of Reinforcement on Secondary Students Academic Achievement in Idanre LGA.

The specific objective is

1.  To identify reinforcement practices at secondary school level in  Idanre Local Government Area.

2. To find out whether reinforcement has a positive effect on students’ academic performance or achievement in Idanre local government area of Ondo State.

3. To find out whether punishment affects students’ academic performance in Idanre local government area of Ondo State.

4.     To examine the extent to which tangible rewards affect academic performance in Idanre local government area of Ondo State.

1.4 Research Question

 The following research questions were raised to guide the study

1. What are the reinforcement practices at secondary school level in  Idanre Local Government Area?

2. Does reinforcement have a positive effect on students’ academic performance in Idanre local government area of Ondo State?

3. Does punishment affects students’ academic performance in Idanre local government area of Ondo State?

4. What is the extent to which tangible rewards affect academic performance in Idanre local government area of Ondo State?

1.5 Significance of the Study

The study would in no small measure enables the teachers to appreciate the effectiveness of reinforcers and reinforcement in teaching and learning situations. Similarly, it would be incumbent on the study to expose the researcher to various positive and negative attitudes to  students and the implications on academic performances. Further recommendations on how reinforcers  can be useful to educational stakeholders  was drawn from this work for further research studies. Above all, the school system stands a chance to benefit immensely from the implementation of  robust positive reinforcements  which will improve the attitude and academic performance of students.

1.6 Scope of the Study

This research was only limited to  ten selected secondary schools within  Idanre local government area of Ondo State.

1.7 Limitation Of The Study

Like in every human endeavour, the researcher encountered slight constraints while carrying out the study. Insufficient funds tend to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature, or information and in the process of data collection, which is why the researcher resorted to a limited choice of sample size. More so, the researcher simultaneously engaged in this study with other academic work. As a result, the amount of time spent on research will be reduced.

Moreover, the case study method utilized in the study posed some challenges to the investigator including the possibility of biases and poor judgment of issues. However, the investigator relied on respect for the general principles of procedures, justice, fairness, objectivity in observation and recording, and weighing of evidence to overcome the challenges.

1.8 Operational definition of terms

Achievement test: A test that measures how much and well a person has learnt over a given period of time.

Attitude: The tendency to respond either favourably or unfavourably to someone or something .

Learning: A long-lasting change in behaviour due to repeated experience.

Motivation: A strong inner drive to achieve a specific goal.

Negative reinforcement: The removal of something desirable in order to make someone do what such considers undesirable.

Performance: The achievement of someone that can be monitored by another person.

Positive reinforcement: The addition of something desirable in order to make someone do what such considers undesirable.

Reinforcer:  Something or someone that increase the rate of happening of another either when added or removed from it